Molds/Tools
Faster cycle, better surface: Out of the autoclave
GM is first automaker to use Class A CFRP parts from new pressure-press technology.
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Kinetic sculpture made possible with carbon fiber composites
Halo, an unusual wind-activated kinetic sculpture is realized with the help of Gurit (Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K.) and molder Innovation Composites (South Nowra, New South Wales, Australia)
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Pressurized Water-based mold temperature control comes to composites
HPC editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan details recent testing that gauged the comparative efficiency of electric, oil-based and water-based mold temperature control systems.
Read MoreTemperature control heats up
Faster infusion is one way to reduce cycle time, but another is faster cure, which typically requires an elevated temperature.
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Big museum, big structures
Massive aramid/carbon composite sandwich panels make Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum the largest composite-clad building in the world.
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Composite fuselage helps HondaJet upend biz-jet market
CFRP composites enable unitized structure with low-drag aerodynamics that transform aircraft performance and reduce cost.
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Tooling block makes affordable patterns for new superlight aircraft
Tooling for a new canard-winged pusher airplane, the e-Go (e-Go Airplanes of Cambridge, U.K.), was created from patterns made of EP678 epoxy tooling block, supplied by the Advanced Engineering Materials Product Group of Trelleborg Offshore UK (Skelmersdale, Lancashire, U.K.)
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Thermoplastic Wind Blades: To be or not?
Will future wind blades incorporate thermoplastic composites? It depends on whom you ask.
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Big parts? Big tooling breakthrough
Electrically heated carbon fiber/PEEK/ceramic tooling and powdered epoxy resin system could revolutionize production of large composite aerospace structures.
Read MorePatented MECHTool system
Galway, Ireland-based ÉireComposites’ patented MECHTool (Mold Efficient Cooling and Heating) system was developed to replace traditional ovens in a number of thermoplastic molding processes.
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