Out of Autoclave
Full steam ahead for composite ship doors and hatches
VABO Composites (Emmeloord, The Netherlands) has added to its wide range of composite products these ship doors and hatches that offer a 50% weight reduction vs. conventional steel doors.
Read MoreJEC World 2016: Fully recyclable sailboat hull demonstrator
Arkema (Colombes, France), in addition to news of its collaboration with Polystrand (Englewood, CO, US), had as the centerpiece of its stand a complete carbon fiber sailboat hull made with the company’s trademarked Elium liquid thermoplastic resin.
Read MoreJEC World 2016: Automotive highlights
On the automotive side, Henkel (Düsseldorf, Germany) emphasized on its JEC stand a glass fiber-reinforced composite leaf spring, based on Henkel’s polyurethane matrix resin Loctite MAX 2, used in the chassis of the new Volvo (Gothenberg, Sweden) XC90, a premium crossover SUV; the platform of this vehicle is expected to be applied to other Volvo cars in the coming years.
Read MoreJEC World: Aerospace highlights
Fokker Aerostructures BV (Hoogeveen, The Netherlands), a GKN Aerospace company, demonstrated at its stand a thermoplastic composite aircraft demonstrator spoiler, fully functional and consisting of only three parts: top skin, bottom skin and a single spar.
Read MoreBMW cars again a composites showcase at JEC World 2016
BMW AG (Wolfsburg, Germany), already notable for its progressive use of composite materials in its i3 and i8 automobiles, provided the Parisian canvas for a palate of composites innovations.
Read MoreUshering in a new era for windows … and more
Superlative stiffness and thermal efficiency could make this highly glass-filled pultruded polyurethane insert a construction industry go-to material of choice.
Read MoreFastener-free, composite aircraft door and control surfaces
All-composite, integrated structures using RTM cut weight and cost by more than 30%.
Read MoreCFRP: Opportunities in orthopedics
Carbon fiber has a niche, but can it secure a larger piece of a high-growth pie?
Read MoreThermoplastics riding into automotive, aerospace
The legacy of composite parts and structures is built on a family of thermosets — including epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester and phenolic — that have helped tremendously to make the industry what it is today. Not to be forgotten are thermoplastics, which have played a serious role as well, and offer advantages that promise to make this material type one of the fastest growing over the next decade.
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