Carbon Fibers

Weaving

Composites steady radio telescope reflector

Precise carbon fiber-reinforced dish prototype could be the model for as many as 2,500 telescopes in the Square Kilometre Array.

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Carbon Fibers

All-composite ROTORwing prototype UAV

Composites enable construction, and handle unique VTOL loads, of unmanned aerial vehicles’ helicopter-to-airplane conversion.

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Carbon Fibers

ORNL demonstrates 3-D printing with carbon fiber

Oak Ridge National Laboratory can print carbon fiber reinforced parts from 10 cm in size up to 2.4m in both lab and production settings at its Carbon Fiber Technology Facility.

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Wind/Energy

Carbon fiber featured in new electrical transmission cable

Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Texas) and Southwire Co. LLC (Carrollton, Ga.), North America’s largest wire and cable producer, have introduced a new option for utility transmission lines:  the C7 Overhead Conductor, featuring a lightweight and high strength-to-weight, multi-element composite core of Celstran continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic rods (CFR-TPR), made by Celanese.

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Carbon Fibers

Towerless turbine: Airborne system powers rural locales

Wind energy start-up Altaeros Energies' (Boston, Mass.) Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT) proof-of-concept prototype reportedly can harvest the more consistent winds at higher altitudes because its elevation is not limited by the need for a tower.

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RTM

BMW Leipzig: The epicenter of i3 production

A glimpse into the inner workings of an automaker at the forefront of serial-production autocomposites.

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Automotive

SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers expands Moses Lake facility . . . again

BMW signals that it is serious about consuming carbon fiber for years to come as SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers expands its Washington production site to 9,000 tons per year.

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Carbon Fibers

First A320neo features composite Korean Sharklets

The enhanced performance of Airbus' newest A320 comes not just from the "new engine option" but also from CFRP wingtips produced by Korean Air using an automated manufacturing line.

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Carbon Fibers

SAMPE Europe 2014 Review

SAMPE Europe’s 35th International Conference (SEICO 14) was also its last. Beginning in 2015, SAMPE Europe will henceforth organize one large annual conference, combining its SEICO and SETEC events into a multitrack multidisciplinary conference and exhibition.

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Machining update: One-shot dry drilling of stacked materials

Tool design innovations tighten tolerances and cut costs for those who drill composite-metal assemblies.

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