Wind/Energy
SGL Group combines fibers and materials into single business unit
The new business unit, named Composites – Fibers and Materials (CFM), is headed by Andreas Wüllner, who also continues as managing director of SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers.
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Carbures: Conquering the world for composites
This global Tier 2 supplier produced 39,322 parts for Airbus in 2015, has sold seven RMCP machines to China capable of 40,000-75,000 composite auto parts/yr and is completing a study on opportunities for composites in oil and gas applications in Mexico. What next?
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Dry fiber placement: Surpassing limits
Coriolis Composites’ automated aerostructures manufacturing using dry materials moves from development projects to production.
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Composites manufacturing from a different angle
A bunch of really smart engineers showed up in Long Beach, CA, US this week for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME, Dearborn, MI, US) AeroDef conference and exhibition. All were focused on looking at ways to manufacture products — composite or not — more efficiently.
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If we recycle it, will they come?
Thanks to the 787 and the A350 XWB aircraft programs, the composites industry has more scrap carbon fiber prepreg than it knows what to do with. At least, not yet.
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Thermoplastic honeycomb cores: Tough insulated sandwiches
Foam-filled nylon/polyester fabric yields sandwich panel cores with excellent mechanicals, durability, thermal insulation.
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Graphene composite could help keep wings ice-free
A thin coating of graphene nanoribbons in epoxy developed at Rice University has proven effective at melting ice on a helicopter blade.
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Alternative precursor R&D: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN, US) has been at the forefront of North American research into alternatives to the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor used to make aerospace-grade carbon fiber.
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Alternative precursor R&D: Lignin in the lightweighting limelight
This abundant, renewable resource shows promise as an alternative to PAN for low-cost, functional carbon fibers.
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NASA/Boeing composite launch vehicle fuel tank scores firsts
Subscale 5.5m-diameter cryogenic tank demonstrator with innovative fluted-core skirt is formed via robotic AFP and cured out of the autoclave.
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