Out of Autoclave

Weaving

COMPOSITES+POLYCON 2009 Showcase

Despite the deepening recession, composites pros returned to the show in its new time slot to explore the wealth of products and services collected here.

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Thermoplastics

Mining the potential of polyurethane composites

 Pultruded rollers for mine conveyors outperform steel and portend a huge new market.

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Thermoplastics

Resin systems update: The greening of thermosets

 Thermoset resin formulators seek environmental benefits as customers demand reduced cost and increased performance.

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Infrastructure

Bridge cost cut with inflatable arches

Stay-in-place composite formwork shortens installation, doubles service life of concrete bridge structure.

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Infusion

Cost- and time-saving preform process used for propeller spinner

Carbon fiber/epoxy spinner uses pulp slurry preforming process combined with vacuum infusion molding.

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PEEK

Thermoplastic composites: Inside story

Reinforced thermoplastics buy their way into structural aircraft interior components.

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Wind/Energy

SAMPE Europe/JEC Composites 2009 preview

SAMPE Europe’s 30th annual spring conclave and the nearby JEC Composites Show characterize the latest in material and process technologies.

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BMI

Inside R and D: A-VaRTM takes flight in Japan

Tests show out-of-autoclave process can reduce costs on new regional jet.

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Autoclave

Pultruding cost out of aerospace parts

 Design-for-manufacturing effort proves to be cost-effective for carbon/epoxy airfoil on expendable UAV.

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Is it really low-tech vs. high tech?

I’ll bet that a lot of folks who read this column regularly — assuming I’m lucky and lots of folks are reading — have spent their entire careers working with E-glass without ever thinking they were high-performance geeks, too. To them, welcome to the club!

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