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Filament winding is a specialized technique used in composite manufacturing, involving the precise and automated winding of continuous fibers onto a rotating mandrel or mold. This method allows for the creation of strong and seamless structures, optimizing the alignment and orientation of the fibers to meet specific design requirements. Filament winding is employed in producing cylindrical or conical composite parts, such as pipes, pressure vessels, and aerospace components, enabling engineers to tailor the strength, stiffness, and performance characteristics of the final product.

Processes in composites manufacturing encompass a diverse array of techniques employed to fabricate composite materials. These processes include methods like hand layup, where layers of resin and reinforcement materials are manually placed, and vacuum infusion, where a vacuum draws resin into a preform. Other techniques like compression molding, filament winding, and automated methods such as 3D printing are utilized to create intricate and specialized composite structures. Each process offers unique advantages in terms of precision, scalability, and efficiency, catering to diverse industry needs. As technology advances, newer methods are emerging, promising faster production cycles, reduced waste, and increased customization, driving the evolution of composite manufacturing towards more sophisticated and versatile methodologies.

The wind energy market has long been considered the world’s largest market, by volume, for glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites — and increasingly, carbon fiber composites — as larger turbines and longer wind blades are developed, requiring higher performance, lighter weight materials. The outer skins of wind and tidal turbine blades generally comprise infused, GFRP laminates sandwiching foam core. Inside the blade, rib-like shear webs bonded to spar caps reinforce the structure. Spar caps are often made from GFRP or, as blade lengths lengthen, pultruded carbon fiber for additional strength.

Scotland’s renewable energy trade body joins several other members to guide and support technology advancement for recyclability and future wind blade development.

Coordinated by the Aitiip Technology Centre, the EU-funded project will design components to facilitate improved recyclabilty, exploring the performance of bio-based material options and novel degradation processes.

CAMX 2023: Acrolab features its Isomandrel technology, which redistributes high thermal energy uniformly over the entire filament winding mandrel surface, providing predictable and consistent energy input into the part and removing the need for oven cure.

Norwegian Offshore Wind is launching a new two-year program in August to foster growth of startups and scale-ups and address pressing issues in offshore wind.

Targeting U.S. wind energy, the program backs Purdue’s CMSC center and industry partners to develop the foundation for automated tooling manufacture, supporting new innovations in composite materials, other technology elements.

CW editor-in-chief Scott Francis discusses trends in aerospace on display at JEC World — as the composites industry awaits a new single aisle aircraft program, the industry puts continued focus on new space, defense, UAM.

CAMX 2023: Roth Composite Machinery focuses on automation, safety and time savings.

SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) inlet guide vanes for a high-pressure turbine are aimed for a geared turbofan and show promise for more efficient aeroengines with less weight and need for cooling.

End-of-life wind turbine recycling efforts are underway after the first REWIND consortium kick-off in May.

Made using CompoTech’s robot-assisted winding technology, the Type 4 or 5 multi-cell tank is designed to be integrated into an aircraft wing root.