Design/Simulation

Out of Autoclave

Pushing the limits of infusion

Polyworx BV used RTM-Worx, semipermeable membranes, a special feed and vacuum line layout and MMD machines to infuse a 62m minesweeper with degassed resin.

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VIDEO: Helicopter Drop Test

NASA evaluates composites’ ability to improve helicopter crashworthiness by dropping a helicopter fuselage to simulate a severe survivable crash according to military and commercial transport requirements.

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Construction

Bus station pavilion: A marriage of design and manufacture

Architectural design studio and boatbuilder cooperate to make this passenger terminal "first" a first-class showpiece.

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Consumer

Maximum thrills: Minimal tools

Water slide manufacturer’s disastrous fire loss opens door to a closed molding process that reduces the number — and cost — of production molds, promising future gain.

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Weaving

Revisioning the Viper: Clamshell hood challenge

Autoclave-cured carbon-fiber prepreg hood/fender combo proves as technically formidable as it is visually stunning.

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Software isolates, identifies porosity-related flaws in tooling from fuselage test data

Software and composites manufacturing data specialist NLign Analytics, a division of Etegent Technologies (Cincinnati, Ohio) helps identify and track product flaws caused by tooling porosity.

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Virtual testing of composites: Beyond make & break

Software-based micromechanical modeling and analysis methods promise faster and more cost-effective aircraft development and testing programs.

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Designing for high pressure: Large-diameter underground pipe

Careful analysis is needed to ensure success of buried composite piping for industrial applications.

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Integrated, optimized aircraft door

This composites manufacturer is betting its one-piece 3-D preform and RTM process will trim weight from today’s fastener-intensive “black aluminum” aircraft doors.

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Ply placement: Largest laser projection system for wind blade manufacture

Following the recent installation of a 16-projector system for an aircraft fuselage application, Assembly Guidance Systems Inc. (Chelmsford, Mass.) recently delivered what it says is the largest unified laser-projection system of its kind, for wind turbine blade fabrication.

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microwire technology for composites