Materials
Carbon/epoxy Cadillac hood
Automated process for prepreg hood inner/outer cuts weight by 20% and yields Class A exterior out of the autoclave.
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New hybrid solar energy system uses composites to lower costs
Patent-pending 5D Watts system increases solar energy production four times vs. conventional non-composite flat panels while lowering weight and installation cost.
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Composites recycling becomes a necessity
Boeing and Airbus each is generating as much as a 1 million lb of cured and uncured carbon fiber prepreg waste each year from 787 and A350 XWB production. If you include the entire supply chain for these planes, the total is closer to 4 million lb/year. And with the automotive industry poised to consume (and waste) more carbon fiber than ever, recycling of composite materials has become an absolute necessity. The technology is there, but the markets are not. Yet.
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Composites help to repair earthquake-damaged bridges
Utah researchers designed a new repair process that involves carbon fiber-reinforced polymer “donuts” to fix damaged bridges quickly.
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Cost-effective aerocomposites: Dry fiber AFP and resin infusion
Aurora Flight Sciences and NONA Composites aim to improve toughness, repeatable aerospace quality and affordability for large-scale NASA structures.
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Coming to carbon fiber: Low-cost mesophase pitch precursor
Advanced Carbon Products LLC has developed and patented a continuous manufacturing process for the production of mesophase pitch carbon fiber precursor that will cost as little as $1.50/lb.
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Thermoplastic composite wings on the horizon?
OUTCOME, a project under the Clean Sky 2 program, aims to industrialize out-of-autoclave thermoplastic primary aerostructure.
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Carbures, el Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain
On a rapid and audacious growth trajectory, this Tier 2 supplier based on the Iberian Peninsula opens the doors of three foundational facilities near Spain’s aerospace epicenter.
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Up close and personal with Solar Impulse 2
CW was at the scene when the composites-intensive Si2 landed in Phoenix, AZ.
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Carbon/epoxy Cadillac hood in production
While they typically keep their research efforts close to the vest, automakers and automotive Tier suppliers nevertheless are always in the process of evaluating the multitude of materials available for lightweighting.
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