Out of Autoclave
Summer...time for an air show
Highlights from the 2015 edition of the Paris Air Show, and what to look for at the upcoming EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh next month.
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3D Printing Moves Into Tooling Components
Some pundits predict that 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), will change our world forever. While that may yet be, one thing is clear: The growth of 3D printing over the past two decades has wrought significant change in composites tooling. Although AM’s most obvious advantage is direct part production without tooling, the growing trend in the aerospace and automotive sectors at present is its use for fast, on-demand builds of mold tools to keep pace with accelerating composite part design cycles and demand for faster overall part processing speeds.
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Opportunities for composites at AIA 2015
Key trends and new products on the floor at this year's American Institute of Architects show.
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Thermoplastic composites technology: A view from Europe
For this Dutch consortium, bringing the manufacturability of thermoplastic materials to maturity is the goal in concert with OEMs, materials and equipment supplier members.
Read MoreThermoplastic composites: European consortia, galore!
In addition to the Thermoplastic Composites Research Center (TPRC, Enschede, The Netherlands) — see our article focused on TPRC, titled "Thermoplastic composites technology: A view from Europe" under "Editor's Picks, at top right — there are many other European consortia, comprising private industry, university and government entities, which share the goals of exploring composites materials and methods for manufacturing them, including those with thermoplastic matrices. Here's a sampling.
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In-orbit-deployable radar dish
Aramid/PEI delivers flexibility, strength and precision for space-based reflector
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First all-carbon yacht a winner
Vacuum infusion with customized fabrics enables demanding yacht build
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Understanding the influence of fiber orientation on structural analysis of fiber-filled parts
The effect of fiber orientation on material properties is a key way the injection molding process impacts mechanical performance. Doug Kenik and Angie Schrader of the Design, Lifecycle & Simulation product group at Autodesk (Waltham, MA, US) illustrates two ways fiber orientation influences the structural behavior of fiber-filled parts and discuss the need for a bi-directional approach to design and analysis.
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Wind turbine blades: Back to the future?
Dayton Griffin, MSc, a senior principal engineer at DNV GL (Seattle, WA, US), considers the challenges that increasing blade length poses for designers/manufacturers in terms of weight mitigation, stiffness optimization, manufacturability and transportability.
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Prepreg compression molding makes its commercial debut
Ultra-thin, preformed laminate designs enable CFRP decklid manufacture at lower-than-expected mass and at cycle times approaching mass-production speed.
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