Out of Autoclave
Parkway Products opens new facility in Mexico
Aerospace parts molder Parkway Products has formed a molding campus in Saltillo, Mexico, with the addition of a second manufacturing facility.
Read MorePultrusion
Pultrusion, like RTM, has been used for decades with glass fiber and polyester resins, but in the last ten years the process also has found applications in the advanced composites industry. In this relatively simple, low-cost, continuous process, the reinforcing fiber (usually roving, tow or continuous mat) is
Read MoreMicrospheres: Fillers filled with possibilities
For composite applications, these hollow microstructures displace a lot of volume at low weight and add an abundance of processing and product enhancements.
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Bio-Composites Update: Bio-Based Resins Begin to Grow
Substituting agricultural for fossil-based feedstocks in polymer resins is not new, but maturing technology now promises composites less dependent on petrochemicals for their performance.
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Building Bridges to Bridge and Building Rehab Markets
Despite a lack of standardization and education in the civil construction sector, these innovators use carbon and steel fibers to reinforce the business case for composites.
Read MoreShooting trouble
I know it’s only April, but in the magazine business, we’re always looking ahead. About this time each year, I start thinking seriously about the next year. I think about the topics we might cover, the types of articles we might approach differently, technologies that we’ve not visited in a while and emerging
Read MoreComposites: Past Present Future: Is the Window Still Open for Carbon Fiber in Automobiles?
The day I was asked to write this column, I was driving to Dayton, Ohio, and was passed by a Mitsubishi Eclipse sporting a carbon fiber hood. With the weave pattern showing through the shining clearcoat, the aggressively styled hood gave the car a more powerful look — one of speed and agility — than the OEM version
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Engineering Insights: Glass/Thermoplastic Hood Steps Toward Commercialization
The hood design for Hyundai’s QarmaQ concept car is evaluated against European and Japanese pedestrian safety requirements.
Read MoreAligned discontinuous fibers come of age
Discontinuous but aligned carbon fibers are proving formable and formidable in high-performance, compound-curvature applications.
Read MoreFormulating challenge: Creating better epoxies for vacuum-infused aerospace parts
More attention is being focused on fabricating processes for aircraft structures that can save time and money and improve efficiency while yielding high-quality parts. Historically, nearly all aircraft designers have assumed autoclave cure as the norm, despite the well-documented cost and time advantages of
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