Materials
3D printed composite parts provide solution for UAV
New technology uses long carbon fibers to boost strength and stiffness for small yet high-performance aircraft.
Read MoreNanocomp Technologies Inc., Merrimack, NH, US
Its millimeter-length macro CNTs are finally realizing their commercial composites potential, with spacecraft applications leading the way.
Read MoreNot your average carbon fiber part
A Swedish industrial designer and artisan, Ragnar Friberg, contacted CW recently about a new project: a one-of-a-kind custom champagne glass and an accompanying storage cabinet that incorporates carbon fiber — along with a number of high-end materials.
Read MoreTrace: A simple, must-have tool
This recently discovered constant in laminate calculations can put designing with CFRP materials on par with designing with metals.
Read MoreThermoplastic composites in flight ... for decades
Thermoplastic composite airframe components parts have a surprisingly long history. Here's one of the earliest applications.
Read MoreGet ready for Composites 4.0!
It might seem like science fiction, but it must be our path if we are to make composites competitive.
Read MoreRecycled carbon fiber: Its time has come
Impressive industry growth puts a new emphasis on the role of carbon fiber recycling.
Read MoreTaking the hand out of hand layup
Hand layup has a long history in aerospace composites fabrication, but it's not well suited for automotive composites manufacturing, where volumes are much higher. But the discrete placement of fiber reinforcements still has value. Research is pointing toward automated hand layup that might help this process bridge the aerospace-to-automotive divide.
WatchGetting real: Thermoplastic resin transfer molding
KraussMaffei is launching this fall thermoplastic resin transfer molding (T-RTM), through which caprolactam is injected into a preform and then in-mold polymerized to create polyamide 6.
Read MoreGE Aviation breaks ground on CMC facilities in Alabama
The two adjacent factories in Huntsville will mass-produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composite components (CMCs) for jet engines and land-based gas turbines for electric power.
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