Wind/Energy
New hydraulic press for automated processing of thermoplastic CFRP
Wickert Presstech delivers new system to German Aerospace Center which reportedly can process all materials and uses latest in automated technology.
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Exelis Aerostructures: Salt Lake City
Braided composite shafts and struts for aircraft are its specialty, but there’s much more to this Utah, US-based rising star.
Read MoreDuraStor/HOST participants
In 2010, a multi-partner, multi-year research program called Low Cost, Durable Thermoplastic Hydrogen Storage Tanks, or DuraStor, was formed to address these problems by investigating a drop-in replacement for Type IV tanks. A UK-only program called Hydrogen – Optimisation of Storage and Transfer (HOST) picked up where DuraStor left off in mid-2014. These were the participants.
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Thermoplastic composite pressure vessels for FCVs
U.K. consortiums address durability, weight, cost of high-pressure tanks for hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles.
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Can IACMI propel us out of adolescence, into adulthood?
On Jan. 9, the US Department of Energy (DoE) announced that it will add US$70 million to the US$189 million already committed to the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) for composites R&D. CW's editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan asks, "What will come of this investment?"
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BNSF Logistics and TTS cut wind blade transport costs
BNSF's Blade Runner service uses a single universal fixture for ocean, rail, truck and storage improving clearance, load factors and efficiency while TTS uses high density fixture to pack 42 blades per train.
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Part design criteria (2015)
Designers of composite parts can choose from a huge variety of fiber reinforcements and resin systems. That makes knowledge of how those materials work together a critically important aspect of part development. Here's a short description of what that knowledge entails.
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Supply and demand: Advanced fibers (2015)
Demand for advanced fiber, virgin and reclaimed, is on an upswing after a dip during the recent recession. Fiber suppliers are gearing up to meet an expected increase in demand as manufacturers in a number of composites end-markets scale up or start up part development and production programs.
Read MoreU. of Tennessee consortium awarded National Composites Manufacturing Institute contract
The long-awaited $70 million commitment from the US Department of Energy goes to a consortium led by the University of Tennessee's Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), which includes 122 partners who have promised an additional $259 million.
Read MoreRegenerative braking system for railcars relies on composites
A new flywheel-based regenerative braking system, the Digital Displacement hydraulic pump-motor transmission system from Artemis Intelligent Power, has demonstrated that it can reduce the carbon footprint of trains.
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