Fives Machining Systems, Inc. Suppliers Showroom

People in composites: October 2024

CRP USA, Fives Machining Systems, Web Industries, UD-CCM, Exel Composites and Lockheed Martin have made appointments related to the composites industry.

Plant tour: Airbus, Illescas, Spain

Airbus’ Illescas facility, featuring highly automated composites processes for the A350 lower wing cover and one-piece Section 19 fuselage barrels, works toward production ramp-ups and next-generation aircraft.

JEC World 2024 highlights: Forwarding initiatives surrounding sustainability and mobility

Themes at the forefront of JEC World 2024 included solutions for mobility applications and sustainable materials, technologies and processes for composites manufacturing.

Automated end-to-end composite solutions for tape laying, fiber placement

JEC World 2024: Fives invites attendees to learn more about its specialization in providing composites precision and performance, whether its through its Cincinnati, Forest-Liné and Lund lines or its ACE and COAST engineering suites.

People in composites: October 2023

New personnel and leadership appointments have been announced this past month by Johns Manville, Airbus, Aquapak Polymers, ZeroAvia, Daher, Velocity Composites and Fives.

Fives introduces COAST in-process composite inspection technology

COAST is capable of precise measurement and defect detection on contoured composite surfaces during the AFP process, reducing costs and increasing AFP accessibility.

Plant tour: Middle River Aerostructure Systems, Baltimore, Md., U.S.

The historic Martin Aircraft factory is advancing digitized automation for more sustainable production of composite aerostructures.

Cryomotive, Fives to bring cryogenic pump to truck hydrogen refueling stations

The Cryomec Hy-Filling pump designed by Fives will generate Cryogas — cryo-compressed hydrogen gas — to extend back-to-back refueling of trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles.

Plant tour: Qarbon Aerospace, Milledgeville, Ga. and Red Oak, Texas

Veteran aerostructures Tier 1 transforms into 21st century leader in thermoplastic composites and multiple new markets.

AFP tow steering comes of age, Part 1: Current state

It used to be enough that AFP systems could precisely and quickly place and cut multiple tows to build complex aerostructures. Now, fabricators need those tows steered, and the tighter the radius, the better.

Narrow UD tapes to bridge the ATL-AFP gap

Automated tape laying and automated fiber placement are similar, but not the same. Can narrow tapes provide a middle ground with advantages of both processes for next-gen aircraft?

ORNL, AddUp collaborate on additive manufacturing for tooling applications

As part of an R&D agreement, AddUp and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing industrial laser powder bed fusion technology for complex tooling.

Modular, mobile, multiple robotics poised to change the AFP/ATL paradigm

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is working on two multi-robot automated fiber and tape placement technologies that could change the paradigm in large-part aerocomposites manufacturing.

Automated, in-situ inspection a necessity for next-gen aerospace

Inline inspection technologies continue to evolve with the aim of providing faster and more accurate part inspection.

JEC World 2019 preview: Fives

Fives (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) will be presenting its next-generation sensor for in-process inspection of carbon fiber-reinforced layups, reportedly capable of reducing processing time by up to 30% compared to layup operations using manual inspection.

National Research Council of Canada and Fives partner on inspection technology for aerospace

The joint venture is working to develop an advanced profilometer that will provide faster and more accurate part inspection.

Plant tour: Israel Aerospace Industries, Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing increasing expertise both in and out of the autoclave as it expands an already broad composites production portfolio.

Improving composites processing with automated inspection, Part II

Three additional inspection equipment providers describe their development of inline production quality-control systems.

Improving composites processing with automated inspection

Automated, in-situ inspection bypasses the bottleneck of manual inspection.

Real-time automated ply inspection (RTAPI) system: CW’s series on automated inspection methods

More composites being used in aircraft, and the pressure for higher production rates means new technologies for automated, in-process inspection while the part is being fabricated. Groups around the world are working on this, and making great strides.

Another opportunity to meet, and learn, in Paris

At the JEC World 2017, improvements in materials and processes were present at nearly every stand, with the emphasis on automotive-capable production speeds.

Two-stage tape layup: Access cuts/Atlas 2 lays up

A legacy 1980s technology builds visionary Dreamliner wingskins.

CW Plant Tour: Composite Technology Center, Stade, Germany

A cornerstone of Germany’s CFK Valley, CTC pushes composites forward via automation, recycling, digital thread-based manufacturing and more.

JEC World 2016, the full report

��ñ��'s editors report on the technologies and products that caught our eye at JEC World 2016, in early March.

Turnkey manufacturing systems: Aiming for automotive-industry volume production

Fives Cincinnati (Hebron, KY, US) has announced an integrated manufacturing system for automotive composites comprising two automated manufacturing cells.

Turnkey manufacturing systems: Materials, markets and maturation

Automated production cells promise affordability and less risk in scaling up composites production, but are they really the path forward?

Laser projection: Envisioning more than templates

Advanced systems offer ply-placement verification, aids to faster assembly and manufacturing process and quality control.

Exelis Aerostructures: Salt Lake City

Braided composite shafts and struts for aircraft are its specialty, but there’s much more to this Utah, US-based rising star.

Plant tour: ATK Aerospace Structures, Clearfield, Utah, U.S.

High-volume, high-precision fiber and tape placement for the aerospace industry are among many specialties for this composites manufacturing behemoth.

JEC Americas 2014 Review

Composites industry exhibitors at this combined show emphasized the textile side of the fiber/resin mix and touted process automation.

2014 JEC Europe Review

The composites world met again in Paris, vibrant, stronger, and more forward-looking than ever before.

JEC Europe 2014 Review

The composites world met again in Paris, vibrant, stronger, and more forward-looking than ever before.

Business and busy-ness

CT editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan returns for JEC Europe 2014 in Paris with observations about several intriguing composites industry trends.

Paris Air Show 2013: A century of aircraft progress

Torrential rains couldn’t dampen the spirit of innovation or stop the flood of business aerospace announcements.

WINDPOWER 2012 report

Continued technology-driven performance gains are overshadowed by PTC gloom and predicted Asian overcapacity.

Composites automation: Trending smaller and robotic

Although AFP and automated tape laying (ATL) lamination technologies are widely used in the aircraft industry, market conditions in the past few years are driving some changes in composites equipment supplier product lines. Consultant Carroll Grant explains why.

The Plane in Spain

Site tours provide a rare glimpse into the Iberian Peninsula’s aerospace composites sector, with a special focus on Airbus’ activities at Illescas.

SAMPE 2011 Long Beach Product Showcase

Huge show, huge new product offerings … huge success.

Status update on composites automation

Consultant Carroll Grant reviews progress made in recent years toward greater variety in automated composites processing machine sizes configurations and capabilities.

Addressing the cost of aerospace composites

In the aerospace composites industry’s history, millions of research and development (R&D) dollars have been spent addressing cost.

Out-of-autoclave prepregs: Hype or revolution?

Oven-cured, vacuum-bagged prepregs show promise in production primary structures.

SAMPE 2010 Seattle Showcase

SAMPE’s first-ever foray into Boeing Country wrapped up with the M&P organization’s biggest draw this decade.

Machining carbon composites: Risky business

As composites take a larger part (and form larger parts) in the aerospace structures sector, it’s not just a make-it-or-break-it proposition.

Composites 2010 Product Showcase

The ACMA’s Las Vegas exhibition reflected an industry in recovery.

JEC Composites 2009 showcase

Despite the doleful state of the global economy, the turnout in Paris — exhibitors and visitors — proved surprisingly strong.

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.

AFP/ATL design-to-manufacture: Bridging the gap

Managing production of a structure made via fiber or tape placement often requires software-aided manipulation of the subtle differences between that which is designed and that which can be manufactured.

2008 Farnborough Airshow Report

This biennial aerospace showcase underscores the ascendancy of composites in airframes and jet engines.

ATL and AFP: Signs of evolution in machine process control

Improved machine-control software, placement accuracy and design simulation have made automated fiber placement and tape laying machines truly production-worthy. The evolution, however, still continues.

JEC COMPOSITES 2008 show review

Composites professionals converged on this annual Parisian gathering in greater numbers than ever before, confident that the market’s global growth will continue.

Automate or emigrate

Automated fiber and tape placement is not just a notion, but a real manufacturing strategy, and one being embraced by HITCO Carbon Composites.

Managing multi-axis manufacturing

Much early computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery served short-run military and space programs where cost per part was too high to be acceptable in the manufacture of commercial aircraft. Now, Automated CNC machinery moves toward volume production and part-specific design.

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