Articles
IP vigilance: Good business?
CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan observes that in the composites industry, where much of what is considered to be trade secrets and proprietary knowledge really isn't, a better course might be to share that knowledge and, thus, advance the industry as a whole.
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Designing with composites: Optimizing for performance and manufacturing
David Leigh Hudson, the director of product and market strategy for the Fibersim product portfolio at Siemens PLM Software (Waltham, MA, US), the need in the field of composite part design for a serious commitment to what he terms "concurrent engineering" processes.
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Summer vacation and MEMS/nanotechnology
Revisiting the past, while the future is happening in my home town.
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The possible meaning of mergers and acquisitions
Avcorp acquires Hitco Carbon Composites, Precision Castparts acquires Composites Horizons and Lockheed Martin acquires Sikorsky. What the heck?
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Resins for the Fast Zone
An automotive supplier must have the ability to produce a composite part in a minute, or at least in minutes — not hours or days, the norm for composites in most other industries. Meeting that part-per-minutes goal is a huge hurdle that a few composite fabricators have cleared, and many more are involved in development efforts, with OEM or Tier partners. ÂÌñÏ×ÆÞ reviews how resin suppliers have evolved their products for this critical market.
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Automation and rapid processing dominate at JEC Americas
Highlights include Fiber Patch Preforming, automated potting and insert equipment and processes delivering composite parts in minutes.
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Concrete composite that heals itself
The concept of self-healing materials isn’t new, however, there’s been a renewed interest in the technology due to the maintenance needs of deteriorating infrastructures.
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New target of carbon emissions standards: Heavy-duty trucks
New proposed emissions standards in the US are designed to cut carbon pollution from heavy-duty trucks and could expand the transportation lightweighting segment of the composites industry.
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Carbon in the cloud(s)
Carbon is the norm, and even a necessity, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race event, held June 28.
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A growing trend: 3D printing of aerospace tooling
Toolmakers and OEMs are embracing additive manufacturing for customized, rapid tools, masters and jigs.
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Optimum unidirectional compression testing of composites
Dr. Daniel O. Adams, a professor of mechanical engineering, the director of the Composite Mechanics Laboratory at the University of Utah, and VP of Wyoming Test Fixtures Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT, US) discusses the complex relationship between composite tensile and compressive properties, why that makes it necessary to perform both tension and compression testing, and how best to perform the latter.
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