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Fabrics/Preforms

Vectorply celebrates 25 years, opens facility expansion

The Alabama-based manufacturer of high-performance non-crimp fabrics has added 53,000 sq ft with its new Advanced Composite Reinforcement Center.

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Aerospace

RTM-based redesign advances safety for one-of-a-kind wind tunnel

Glass fiber and honeycomb spacers between compressor blades get upgraded to a higher factor of safety with less weight using solid carbon fiber and RTM.

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Adhesives

Composites bridge the gap in an historic nature trail

Partially pre-assembled pultruded parts helicoptered in for quick, nature-sensitive assembly.

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Molds/Tools

Shape Machining shapes Elemental sports car

Designed and manufactured by a team of ex-McLaren designers, the recently launched RP1 features advanced aerodynamics and novel composite solutions, including an all-carbon composite passenger tub built to Formula 1 strength and stiffness standards.

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Biomaterials

Sicomin bioresin used in NOTOX boards

Sicomin (Châteauneuf les Martigues, France) and surfboard manufacturer NOTOX (Anglet, France) have created a bioresin formulation that offers as little environmental impact as possible and supports greener production methods.

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Aerospace

SAMPE 2017: Highlights

SAMPE returned to Seattle, WA, US, May 22-25 and featured the usual mix of conference presentations and exhibit hall activity. CW was there and offers this summary of highlights from the event.

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Pressure Vessels

Automated Preforming, Part 2: Glide Forming

Flat layups are shaped into stringers with different cross-sections, lengths, thicknesses and curvatures using a single machine at rates up to 10 mm per second.

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3D TPC structural preforming process lightens car doors

Automated cell manufactures and pre-impregnates continuous-fiber 3D preforms for injection/compression overmolding of parts with complex shapes, and tailored structural properties.

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Preforming goes industrial: Part 1

ATL and AFP-based preforming options now abound for processing dry and/or impregnated reinforcements as quickly as 1 minute or less with potential yearly part yields in the millions.

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Wind/Energy

Composites recycling is gaining traction

Although CW’s coverage of composites recycling dates back over a decade, informal statistics still show that only ~2% of composites-related companies are active recyclers. That said, three years since our most recent feature on the subject, there is demonstrably greater interest and activity, and real applications of recycled fiber are growing.

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U.S. Polychemical Acrastrip
Kent Pultrusion
Wabash
Toray Advanced Composites hi-temperature materials
ELFOAM rigid foam products
Visual of lab with a yellow line
Release agents and process chemical specialties
Alpha’s Premier ESR®
Airtech International Inc.