CW Blog
JEC World 2016: Automotive highlights
On the automotive side, Henkel (Düsseldorf, Germany) emphasized on its JEC stand a glass fiber-reinforced composite leaf spring, based on Henkel’s polyurethane matrix resin Loctite MAX 2, used in the chassis of the new Volvo (Gothenberg, Sweden) XC90, a premium crossover SUV; the platform of this vehicle is expected to be applied to other Volvo cars in the coming years.
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JEC World: Aerospace highlights
Fokker Aerostructures BV (Hoogeveen, The Netherlands), a GKN Aerospace company, demonstrated at its stand a thermoplastic composite aircraft demonstrator spoiler, fully functional and consisting of only three parts: top skin, bottom skin and a single spar.
Read MoreSAMPE Europe Summit 2016
SAMPE Europe held its one-day Summit Paris 2016 event at the Hotel Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower on March 7. CW’s technical editor Sara Black was in attendance and noted the following standout presentations.
Read MoreA&P, TenCate test database compares slit-braid and woven fabric
A&P Technology Inc. (Cincinnati, OH, US) introduced at JEC World 2016 a new database of test data, developed with TenCate Advanced Composites (Morgan Hill, CA, US) to compare laminates composed of its trademarked QISO quasi-isotropic (0°, ±60°) fabric, a slit braid material, with laminates composed of conventional woven fabric, both prepregged with TenCate’s highly toughened TC275-1 epoxy resin.
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Teijin goes public with long-awaited Sereebo molding process
Teijin (Tokyo, Japan) revealed in Paris for the first time many details about its Sereebo high-volume composites manufacturing process.
Read MoreBMW cars again a composites showcase at JEC World 2016
BMW AG (Wolfsburg, Germany), already notable for its progressive use of composite materials in its i3 and i8 automobiles, provided the Parisian canvas for a palate of composites innovations.
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Ushering in a new era for windows … and more
Superlative stiffness and thermal efficiency could make this highly glass-filled pultruded polyurethane insert a construction industry go-to material of choice.
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Polybenzoxazine on the horizon?
Benzoxazine veteran Dr. Hatsuro Ishida at Case Western Reserve University has developed what he calls the fourth generation of this versatile high-heat, high-strength matrix resin.
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Gardner Business Index at 50.0 in March
New orders and production are up. Capital spending plans foreshadow equipment investments.
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Testing is inefficient: Material simulation’s advantage over the status quo
Although simulation cannot replace validation and certification testing, it can offer a path to greater testing efficiency.
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In defense of glass fiber
Given the hype around carbon fiber, CW columnist Dale Brosius says it's easy to overlook the importance and future of glass fiber.
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Carbon fiber-based BMC wears well
Carbon fiber and ceramic are combined with a proprietary resin system to create a novel, extremely high-wear bulk molding compound (BMC) for centrifugal pump application.
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