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We’ve become used to this in the electronics industry. But what about the composites industry? Is it experiencing an electronics-like acceleration in technological development? I believe it is. From my perspective, the rate of composites innovation today is higher than I have ever seen, and the implications are significant.

One implication is that the innovation locus is changing. From the 1970s to the 1990s, it was the aerospace and defense industries taking the lead in advanced composites. But recent history indicates some resistance to change: The Boeing 777X and F-35, for example, are built predominantly with fibers and resin systems developed in the 1980s. It’s pretty clear that the industrial market has taken the lead in disrupting the status quo.

That brings us to the second implication: Now, more than ever, it is difficult to define the state of the art for many aspects of composites technology. As soon as you think you know who is leading, someone comes up with a better — faster, cheaper, stronger (you pick which adjective) — way to achieve the same goal. Take high-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM), for example. Ten years ago, 10-15 minutes was considered fairly fast for parts the size of an automotive roof panel. Three years ago, this dropped to five minutes, and today’s resin formulations are able to cure in under two minutes, assuming we can get them into the mold fast enough. In fact, BMW is making many carbon fiber/ epoxy parts for their vehicles in two minutes using “wet pressing,” a highly automated version of what used to be a low-tech “mix and pour” process. Who needs HP-RTM when you can simply do this?

Other areas of innovation abound. Novel low-cost and low-energy precursors for carbon fiber, rapid and low-waste preforming technologies, and thermoplastic overmolding of structural inserts are also moving forward with abandon. And although it’s become ingrained that we cannot accurately predict crash behavior of composites, I’ve seen plenty of recent demonstrations that we can, indeed, do so.

Then there’s polymer 3D printing. It’s gone from shoebox size to full cars and large tools in the short span of three years (a recently printed tool for Boeing was certified to be a record in terms of dimension — certain to be superseded in 2017, if not before). There are efforts to do the same in metallic 3D printing, which will transform the tooling industry.

And just a few years ago, there were only a handful of companies with promising technologies for recycling carbon fiber composites. Today, there are dozens, and the long-term survival of each of these service providers will depend on its ability to create a compelling value proposition beyond landfill avoidance.

As part costs come down and the market grows, there will be room for many materials and many processes. However, that brings up a third implication: This new landscape makes managers’ jobs even tougher — what investments do we make in capital and R&D that won’t be obsolete in two years? There are no easy answers to this question, but it sure feels great to be aboard this fast-moving train!