Materials
BMI and benzoxazine battle for future OOA aerocomposites
Offering weight, cost and process advantages, these “hot zone” resins are moving down the thermometer and into out-of-autoclave structural applications and autoclavable tooling now dominated by epoxies.
Read MoreBenzoxazine: An alternative to phenolic for interior fire safety?
As research into benzoxazine resin chemistry proceeds, this budding high-performance system has the potential to challenge phenolic resins in aircraft interiors.
Read MoreBenzoxazine + BMI?
Resin supplier Huntsman Advanced Materials (Basel, Switzerland and The Woodlands, Texas) sees benzoxazine resins as traditional chemistry boundary breakers that open whole new resin-system possibilities.
Read MoreRussian renaissance: Leading the OOA revolution?
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, one of the most remarkable results has been a resurgence in aeromanufacturing within the Russian Federation.
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Inside a thermoplastic composites hotbed
As production of the A350 XWB ramps up, so does manufacture of the thermoplastic fuselage clips the plane requires. HPC sees how it’s done.
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Carbon stairs make boarding a sailing yacht a breeze
GMT Composites (Bristol, R.I.) makes lightweight but strong — typically carbon fiber — yacht-boarding systems that are easily moved and stowed.
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Out-of-autoclave manufacturing: The green solution
Regular HPC columnist Dale Brosius calls attention to the environmental benefits of out-of-autoclave processing.
Read MoreRecycling carbon fiber back into the automobile
There is some hope on the near horizon for reclaiming carbon fibers from the estimated 40 to 60 percent scrap volume that results from the manufacture of automotive CFRP.
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Automotive CFRP: The shape of things to come
CAFE and CO2 emission standards will drive auto OEMs to fully examine the physics of fuel economy, but will that, at last, steer them toward extensive use of carbon fiber composites?
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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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