Focus on Design

Out of Autoclave 20 Oct 2020

The Alpha launch vehicle: Designing performance in, cost out

Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha 2.0 launch vehicle, designed to deliver satellites into low Earth orbit, gets a composites makeover in pursuit of larger payload capacity and more cost-effective performance.

Automotive 23 Sep 2020

EV battery enclosure inspires material, process innovations

High unit volume and low weight requirements for electric bus battery enclosures fueled development of TRB Lightweight Structures’ specialized epoxy system and automated composites production line.

Glass Fibers 21 Aug 2020

Reimagining wind blade design

Wind turbine blade architecture is so well established that it’s difficult to imagine there might be a better alternative. ACT Blade’s skeleton-based design is a step in that direction.

Automotive 27 Jul 2020

Composites-intensive masterwork: 2020 Corvette, Part 2

Innovative composite materials trim mass, costs and noise on the high-volume mid-engine sports car.

Resins 23 Jun 2020

Composites-intensive masterwork: 2020 Corvette, Part 1

Eighth-generation vehicle sports more composites, and features parts produced using unique materials and processes.

Adhesives 20 May 2020

Composite output shaft ready for automotive proving ground

Unlike automotive driveshafts, automotive output shafts cannot leverage shaft length as a factor when making the case for composites. Instead, other beneficial features have made a composite output shaft able to compete with metal shafts, especially in electric vehicles.

Cyanate Ester 27 Apr 2020

Tooling, precision enable composites in satellite subsystems

Tight tolerances drive design and engineering of large-format composite component and dishes to create unique satellite structures.

Carbon Fibers 15 Apr 2020

Composite T-boom accelerates industrial automation

A manufacturing method that integrates filament winding with axil winding of 0-degree fibers opens new design options in industrial automated equipment.

Wind/Energy 5 Mar 2020

Corrosion-resistant composite piping over the long haul

Three decades of lessons learned using corrosion-resistant glass fiber-reinforced composites in piping at SABIC’s Netherlands chlorine production plant.