Adhesives
Low-density SMC: Better living through chemistry
Proprietary sizing, special glass roving and microspheres strip 9 kilos of weight from Corvette body panels.
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Aircraft composites repair moves toward maturity
New technologies seek to address the challenges MROs will increasingly face in the age of commercial airliners with composite airframes.
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“Smart tooling” cuts time and risk for complex unitized composite structures production
One-piece bladder tooling helps to actualize NASA/Boeing’s revolutionary fluted core design for next-gen cryogenic fuel tank skirt.
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Inflexion technology: complex composites without fasteners
Spirit AeroSystems has developed production methods using rigid-flexible tooling for more affordable unitized composite aerostructures.
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Alternative precursor R&D: What are the alternatives to PAN?
Carbon fibers made from other precursors are in use, commercially, and many more precursor alternatives have been investigated.
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Alternative precursor R&D: Lignin in the lightweighting limelight
This abundant, renewable resource shows promise as an alternative to PAN for low-cost, functional carbon fibers.
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Plant tour: Spirit AeroSystems: Prestwick, Scotland, UK
Global aerostructures giant Spirit AeroSystems ventures into out-of-autoclave (OAA) composites manufacturing via vacuum infusion.
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NASA/Boeing composite launch vehicle fuel tank scores firsts
Subscale 5.5m-diameter cryogenic tank demonstrator with innovative fluted-core skirt is formed via robotic AFP and cured out of the autoclave.
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Polyurethanes: Collaboration and adaptation for optimal application
Guest columnist Kevin Meyer, associate scientist, Dow Polyurethanes, The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, MI, US), asks, and suggests some answers to, the question, "Why have polyurethanes, given their performance advantages, not been adopted in place of other thermosetting resins in a host of applications?"
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