Wind/Energy

Automating wind blade manufacture

 Recent technology announcements portend a new era of more efficient blade production.

Windpower 2009 highlights

 The show confirmed wind energy’s status as a recession-proof market for composites, but blade manufacturers were put on notice about the need to automate.

Challenge of engineering retrofit blades

 Myriad interrelated design factors are considered in new blades for turbines originally built for high-wind regimes.

Offshore wind: How big will blades get?

 Explosive growth in offshore wind farms will push the limits of blade engineering as manufacturers pursue massive designs that will harvest more megawatts.

SAMPE Europe/JEC highlights

The global economy might be on the wane, but there was little evidence of it at the annual SAMPE Europe conference and nearby JEC Composites Show in Paris.

The half-full glass

During a recession — and I’ve only known relatively mild downturns until now — an editor always heads off to a trade show with, at best, some hesitancy and, at worst, gloomy pessimism.

SAMPE 2009 Preview

 The Society takes its U.S. trade show back to Baltimore, expecting to prepare advanced materials professionals for uncertain economic times.

Plenty of suitors as composites come of age

The color purple: The "no complaints" movement

 So, I finally heard about the “no complaints” movement the other day, which involves wearing a rubberized purple bracelet and switching it from one wrist to the other whenever one utters a negative word.

The future of composites education

Experts weigh in on the weighty problems this industry faces as it confronts a serious shortage of trained personnel.