Composites

Teijin Frontier Co Ltd is to acquire J.H. Ziegler, a specialist in high-performance nonwovens based in Achern, Germany.

Kordsa SA of Izmit, Turkey, has announced the completion of its acquisition of two USA-based suppliers of custom-designed composite reinforcements for the aerospace sector.

An improved moulded inner dash trim part for a vehicle has been developed by Autoneum of Winterthur, Switzerland.

July was a busy month for Solvay of Brussels, Belgium, with the company signing extensions to contracts for the supply of its composites with Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems and Safran.

Magna International of Aurora, Ontario, Canada, collected three first-place awards at the 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automotive Awards gala held in Dusseldorf, Germany, on 6

Software company MultiMechanics of Omaha, Nebraska, and composite additive manufacturing specialist Fortify of Boston, Massachusetts, (both in the USA)  have formed a partnership with the aim of  i

After working together for more than 20 years, composites supplier Hexcel Corp of Stamford, Connecticut, USA,  and distribution company Groupe Gazechim Composites are to establish a joint venture t

Fibre-based products manufacturer Domtar of Fort Mill, South Carolina, has bought a majority interest in lignin composites specialist Prisma Renewable Composites of Knoxville, Tennessee, both in th

The University of Maine (UMaine) has unveiled an innovative, rapidly deployable bridge system at its Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono, USA.

A reinforced thermoplastic containing electrically conductive fibres that allow it to be heated more quickly and evenly than is possible using conventional techniques is being developed by Toyota M

Lanxess of Leverkusen, Germany, is to open an applications development and technical services (AD & TS) laboratory for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) in Latina, Italy.

Resins from Scott Bader of Wollaston are being used by NORCO of Poole  to manufacture unique 14-m-long canopies to be installed by  property developers St George on the One Blackfriars development

Unidirectional and biaxial glass-fibre reinforcements designed specifically for the manufacture of the long, thick laminates used in wind turbine blades have been launched by Ahlstrom-Munksjö of St

Filament winding equipment from Roth Composite Machinery of Steffenberg, Germany, is being used by Avio of Colleferro, Italy, to manufacture the carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) booster cases

A fabric reinforcement that enables composites made with it to avoid detection with radar has been developed by Richard Chi-Hsueh of San Diego, California, USA.

A facility for the manufacture of high-modulus glass fibre products is to be established in China by Chongqing Polycomp International Corp of Chongqing following the signing of a strategic cooperat

A single-ply textile support and reinforcement for rubbers and/or plastics has been developed by spinning company Gebrüder Otto.

Highly damage-resistant composites are being developed by researchers in the USA through examination of the mechanisms of crack resistance in the dactyl club of the mantis shrimp.

A lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) engine bay brace for the high-performance Audi R8 has been developed by the carmaker, materials supplier Hexcel and pullwinding specialist Secar

Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are being transformed into high-performance composites by a research consortium in Germany.

A fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) laminate with high structural integrity for use as a planar body component for vehicles is disclosed by Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW).

The first vehicle from Volvo’s performance electric vehicle company, Polestar, will feature the extensive use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP)—marking the first time the Swedish carmaker h

Composites from Rockwood Composites of Newton Abbot have been used to assemble the central core for the UK’s latest fusion device, the ST40 from Tokamak Energy of Abingdon.

A carbon fibre-reinforced bioplastic door leaf for rail carriages that is 35% lighter than aluminium alternatives while costing a similar amount to produce has been developed TRB Lightweight Struct

EconCore has installed a laboratory-scale extrusion and forming line for the manufacture of thermoplastic honeycomb cores at its research and development (R&D) facilities in Leuven, Belgium.

PolyOne Corp of Avon Lake, Ohio, has bought long fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (LFT) specialist PlastiComp of Winona, Minnesota, both in the USA.

A bio-based resin designed specifically to combat the fire risk that lithium ion batteries pose has been launched by prepreg supplier SHD Composite Materials Ltd of Sleaford, UK.

Hexcel of Stamford, Connecticut, USA,  has formed a joint venture with Chinese aerospace parts manufacturer Future Aerospace of  Sichuan Sheng to establish a materials testing laboratory in China.

An overmoulding process that can produce strong components with both soft and hard sections has been demonstrated by KraussMaffei of Munich, Germany.

Mitsui Chemicals Inc's joint venture with Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd, Prime Polymer Co Ltd, intends to establish new production facilities for its Mostron-L glass fibre-reinforced polypropylene (GFRPP).

A composite that spontaneously repairs itself after extreme mechanical damage has been developed for use in electronics by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

A range of strong and ductile glass fibre-reinforced polycarbonates (PCs) has been launched by SABIC.

A curing process that could reduce the cost, time and energy needed to produce composite parts compared with the current methods is being developed by researchers at the University of Illinois in C

A range of strong glass fibre-reinforced polypropylene (PP) compounds is being launched by Asahi Kasei North America of Fowlerville, Michigan, USA.

A range of reinforced thermoplastic compounds that weigh 5–10% less than typical filled compounds, but demonstrate equivalent mechanical properties and similar shrinkage values, has been developed

A strong and flexible composite made from two different types of cellulose – one wood pulp and the other from the carcasses of a marine invertebrate – has been developed by researchers at the Natio

A glass bubble filler (Glass Bubbles S32HS) that enables the production of sheet-moulding compound (SMC) parts with densities of less than 1 g.cm^–3 and class-A-paintable finishes has bee

A unique high-pressure resin-transfer moulding (HP-RTM) and composite press facility at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Composites Centre in the UK is no

UK cabling specialist Rockford of Rendlesham is working with French composites manufacturer Equip’Aero Technique of L'isle-Jourdain to electrify composites for use in aircraft interiors.

An electrically conductive ceramic coating that enables vehicle manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles to use carbon or glass fibre-reinforced plastic composite battery casings has been deve

A range of glass fibre-reinforced polyamide (PA) 66 compounds designed to bridge the cost–performance gap between standard engineering thermoplastics and high-temperature-resistant speciality polym

A surface treatment for aramid fibres that improves the mechanical properties of rubber composites reinforced with them has been developed by Textilcord Steinfort (now Glanzstoff Textilcord) of Ste

A radial tyre reinforced with lightweight composite carbon fibre belt strips is the subject of International Patent Publication WO2018/063109 by Kordsa Teknik Tekstil.

A biodegradable composite made of silk fibres that can be used to repair broken load-bearing bones without the complications sometimes presented by other materials has been developed by researchers

A composite that gets stiffer and stronger when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been developed by researchers at the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Adelphi, Maryland, and the Univer

All engineered products within the nonwovens business of Johns Manville will in future be sold under the name of Evalith.

Recycled carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) can be used to increase the strength and toughness of permeable concrete, according to research carried out at Washington State University in Pullman

An attractive reinforced styrene–acrylonitrile (SAN) resin has been launched by Ineos Styrolution of Frankfurt, Germany.

An out-of-autoclave production process that could dramatically reduce the time and energy required for the manufacture of large carbon fibre-reinforced (CFRP) parts has been developed in Japan.