Processes

1 Nov 2007

Managing multi-axis manufacturing

Much early computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery served short-run military and space programs where cost per part was too high to be acceptable in the manufacture of commercial aircraft. Now, Automated CNC machinery moves toward volume production and part-specific design.

1 Oct 2007

Inside Manufacturing: 45,000 Fan Ducts Per Year from RTM

Unique tooling technology optimizes closed molding process efficiency for volume production of industrial part.

1 Oct 2007

Waterjet cutting system tackles big job, outdoor environment

When Plasti-Fab Inc. (Tualatin, Ore.), a manufacturer of corrosion-resistant equipment for water and wastewater treatment and control, landed a contract to cut hundreds of circles out of 8,000-lb/3,629-kg, 1-inch/25 mm thick rectangular fiberglass plates, the company needed an efficient cutting solution. Tests with a

1 Aug 2007

Reinforced Thermoplastics: LFRT/GMT Roundup

Recent advancements in these reinforced thermoplastic technologies are expanding their performance, enabling new applications.

1 Aug 2007

Reinforced Thermoplastics: LFRT vs. GMT

As the suppliers of long fiber-reinforced thermoplastics and glass-mat thermoplastics battle for market supremacy, the winner is … the composites OEM.

1 Jul 2007

Speaking Out: Composite Structural Design and Manufacturing ... the Times are A-Changin&'

In the early 1990s, I had the pleasure of working on one of the largest aerospace composites research and development (R&D) projects that has ever been conducted. The program focused on composite fuselage and wing structure for large aircraft. Designs were developed and manufacturing processes were demonstrated at

1 Jun 2007

Structural, Aesthetic Injection Molded Wood Fiber Components

Robert Joyce had extruded enough wood fiber composite sheet products to know that to achieve structural integrity, calendaring was essential. “I learned that pressure was important,” says Joyce, principal of Innovative Plastics and Molding (Lambertville, Mich.). He also knew that one of the unachieved goals of the