Wind/Energy

Adhesives 2 Jul 2015

Bespoke sports cars’ composite body speaks volumes

Glass-reinforced plastic artfully captures classic curves, crash-protects passengers and stunningly packages its maker’s high-performance but highly fuel-efficient diesel powertrain.

Defense 1 Jul 2015

Workforce development: Let's start in high school

CW Editor-in-Chief Jeff Sloan says one concern at the otherwise positive initial membership meeting of the new Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) was that the composites industry is quickly losing knowledge, as old-timers retire, that is not so easily replaced. Here's his prescription.

Thermoplastics 14 Feb 2023

Thermosets vs. thermoplastics: Is the battle over?

Dale Brosius, the chief commercialization officer for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) and a regular CW columnist, sees a shift in the industry from infighting between proponents of thermoset and thermoplastic composites to a healthier competitive atmosphere that serves to make composites overall more competitive with legacy materials.

Wind/Energy 15 Jun 2015

Wind energy: No blades needed?

A startup seeks to take the blades out of wind generators.

Weaving 1 Jun 2015

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.

Thermoplastics 1 Jun 2015

Thermoplastic 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.

Wind/Energy 1 Jun 2015

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.