Out of Autoclave

1 Oct 2003

RV manufacturer converts to all-composite motorhome shells and floors

Since 1971, Trail Wagons - Chinook RV Inc. has built motorhomes with one-piece, molded fiberglass shells at its 115,000 ft2 plant in Yakima, Wash, U.S.A. Claiming that the shell design is essential to RV structural integrity, ease of maintenance and weather resistance, the company offers the U.S. RV industry's only

1 Oct 2003

New Technology and Composites

With new technology sweeping into business from every avenue, simply keeping up sometimes feels overwhelming. Lets see - there's checkless banking, electronic inventory control, product data and life cycle management, CAD/CAM and CAE, paperless engineering, automated process control, Internet data exchange, online

1 Sep 2003

Boom ahead in carbon fiber market?

Could it be that carbon fiber is heading for a boom? Consider unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) just one new, relatively high-volume application (see News, p. 9). In a draft of a future "road map," the Pentagon wants to spend 10 billion dollars by 2010 to quadruple the size of the unmanned force. Based on successes

1 Sep 2003

Fighting Ships Augment Combat Readiness With Advanced Composites

Navies adopt composite materials for stealth and speed.

1 Sep 2003

Metal Matrix Composites Advance Optoelectronics Package Design

Cast aluminum silicon carbide keeps costs down while providing ideal thermal properties.

1 Sep 2003

Airbus A340 carbon composite spoiler made with RTM

When FACC AG (Ried, Austria) contracted to fabricate a demonstration composite replacement part for a highly stressed aluminum spoiler center fitting on the Airbus A340-600, the company wanted to use resin transfer molding (RTM) because the part's complex shape would be difficult to produce consistently and

1 Sep 2003

Advanced Pultrusion Takes Off In Commercial Aircraft Structures

Innovative prepreg pultrusion process forms profiles equal to autoclaved components at lower cost.

1 Aug 2003

Indications of sustained growth in the composites market

In the second half of the year, experts are predicting an improved international economic picture. This issue's articles reflect where we are going and, with the notable exception of aerospace, things are looking up for the composites industry. In fact, some experts think the composites market is on the threshold of