Construction

Aerospace 1 Jan 2016

Carbon Fiber: Refiguring the supply/demand equation

CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan returns from Carbon Fiber 2015 in Knoxville TN, US, with news that carbon fiber demand will outstrip supply by 2020, prompting expansion in the 2018-2019 timeframe that could include sources in China.

Adhesives 1 Jan 2016

Cast polymer in a new role: Industrial structural repair

Advantic LLC's (Dayton, OH, US) stainless steel/cast polymer "jackets" for this mining company's stockpile canopy's corroding steel support structure offer a life-prolonging solution at less then 40% of the cost of the lowest-priced alternative.

Construction 1 Jan 2016

Structural work of art

Composites fabricator uses an innovative molding approach and digital techniques to actualize architect’s customized residential stairway.

Defense 29 Dec 2015

CW Ideas in Action

Ideas are just ideas until someone does the hard work of putting them into action and seeing results. CW's editors, therefore, inaugurate an annual review of Ideas in Action, celebrating a handful of hot concepts that could make those who conceived them "household names."

Pressure Vessels 22 Dec 2015

San Diego activates largest seawater desalination plant in US

Composite pressure vessels are a critical component of a new $1 billion seawater desalination facility that will supply fresh water to 400,000 people in San Diego County, CA, US.

Out of Autoclave 1 Dec 2015

Carbon fiber elevator rope rides to the rescue high in the sky

Steel rope was once the material of choice for elevator function, but as buildings exceed 500m in height, it's just too heavy. Elevator manufacturer KONE is offering pultruded carbon fiber rope, called UltraRope, for elevators in the world's tallest buildings.

Aerospace 27 Nov 2015

CW Business Index at 44.8 – Contraction continues in October

Steve Kline, Jr., the director of market intelligence for Gardner Business Media Inc. (Cincinnati, OH, US), the publisher of CompositesWorld magazine, reviews the CompositesWorld Business Index through October 2015.

Consumer 27 Nov 2015

Tracking energy costs and resin prices

The price of crude oil has, over the past year, dropped precipitously, and resin prices have, as a result, stopped going up. CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan asks what this might mean to the composites professional.