Composites

Cobra International Co Ltd of Chonburi, Thailand, has established a business unit dedicated to the manufacture of large composite structures for the architectural and mass transport markets.

A major German car manufacturer is equipping the first vehicles of various model series that are delivered to countries with poor road infrastructure with an engine undertray made of a particularly

Continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic inserts from Lanxess are being used to reinforce the injection-moulded front ends of Volkswagen’s Atlas and Teramont sports utility vehicles (SUVs), which

Toray Industries Inc of Tokyo, Japan, is to open its Automotive Center Europe (AMCEU) near Munich, Germany, in August 2018.

Continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP) and a highly efficient production method for the manufacture of housings for electronic devices has been developed by Covestro of Leverkusen, Germ

Hexcel Corp of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, has expanded its existing supply agreement with Vestas Wind Systems A/S of Aarhus, Denmark, to provide composite materials for wind turbine blades.

Gurit of Zurich, Switzerland, has won a contract for the production and supply of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) exterior car body panels from an Italian premium carmaker. 

Solvay of Brussels, Belgium, is launching a grade of polyarylamide (PARA) reinforced at 55% by weight with a hybrid of glass and carbon fibres. 

AnalySwift LLC ‘s VABS software has been licensed by North Thin Ply Technologies (NTPT) for the simulation of high-end composite golf club shafts and other tubes for use in aerospace, industrial an

Tools that enable the measurement and monitoring of the raw materials (fabrics and rovings) and epoxy resin coatings (prepregs) for composites, while also determining the height of topological mate

Gurit of Zurich, Switzerland, is to transfer its UK prepreg business to its Spanish prepreg production facility in Albacete by the middle of 2018. 

Porcher Industries has completed the acquisition of technical fabrics manufacturer Interglas Technologies from the Preiss Daimler Group. 

Hexcel Corp of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, has completed the acquisition of Structil SA, a producer and supplier of high-performance composites based in Vert-le-Petit, France.

The European glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) market will grow by around 2% in 2017 (compared with 2016) with production forecast to total 1.118 Mt (for thermosets and long fibre-reinforced th

The Composite Recycling Technology Center of Port Angeles, Washington, USA, and ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd of Coseley, UK, have manufactured an automotive seatback from recycled carbon fibre.

A storage-stable wood fibre-reinforced composite for the manufacture of furniture that can be processed via hot moulding has been developed by BASF and Sonae Arauco.

A method for embedding unidirectional carbon fibres in carbon fibre sheet-moulding compound (SMC) can be used to produce lightweight structural components in under three minutes, according to the U

Mould technology from Roctool of Le Bourget Du Lac, France, has been installed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, USA. 

An epoxy prepreg (HexPly M77HF) developed for a quick three-minute cure cycle using low-pressure processing techniques is to be launched by Hexcel of Stamford, Connecticut, USA.

Hexcel is launching a UK Government-backed £7.4-million research and development project on multiaxial fabrics for composites and is expanding its manufacturing facility in Narborough, UK. 

The threat posed to the US State of Florida by Hurricane Irma, notices of flight cancellations and an indication from Orlando Airport of its possible closure have prompted the American Com

Carbon Fibre Preforms (CFP) of Solihull, UK, is to launch two carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) products manufactured using an automated process it claims is rapid and efficient.  

Gurit of Zurich, Switzerland, has completed acquisition of PH Windsolutions of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 

DSM Engineering Plastics of Emmen, The Netherlands, has developed a process for the manufacture of composite high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks.

A consortium of international companies is being formed to drive the development of high-performance sheet moulding compound (HP-SMC), an established and cost-efficient material for the production

Diab Americas of Desoto, Texas, USA, has invested in additional stabilization chambers to support the growing need for its Divinycell HT and Divinycell HP foam cores.

Markforged of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is introducing two three-dimensional (3D) printers for carbon fibre-reinforced parts that it claims are fast and cheap.

Toray Industries of Tokyo, Japan, is to construct a polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) compound production facility at the site of its subsidiary and large-tow carbon fibre manufacturer Zoltek in Nyerges

Haydale of Ammanford, UK, has agreed heads of terms for a technical and commercial collaboration with Rogers Advanced Composites (RAC) Ltd of Fawley, UK. 

A quick and accurate inspection method for composite components has been developed by FACC of Ried, Austria, and the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences and the Higher Technical College (

Automotive supplier Valeo is producing a top column module whose housing and levers are made of BASF’s Ultramid polyamide (PA) and Ultradur polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). 

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and nano-enhanced nonwovens are among the innovations to be exhibited by Technical Fibre Products (TFP) of Kendal, UK, at the CAMX show in Orlando, Florida,

Advanced composites manufacturer Pentaxia is to double its existing production capability through the purchase of a large manufacturing site in Derby, UK. 

Carver Non-Woven Technologies of Fremont, Indiana, USA, is to begin commercial production of pre-impregnated, preconsolidated glass-mat thermoplastic (GMT) composite products. 

N12 Technologies Inc is to work with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) to develop high production capacities for its NanoStitch interlaminar reinforcement product.

Henkel of Düsseldorf, Germany, has opened a test facility for composites in Japan. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) and the US Navy’s Disruptive Technology Laboratory have created the US military’s first three-dimensionally (3D)-pr

The Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University in Germany is working to develop environmentally friendly methods for the manufacture of concrete and composites. 

Technical textiles and thermoplastics specialist Porcher Industries has been working with STELIA Aerospace on its recent Arches Box TP research project. 

The Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) in Port Angeles, Washington, USA, is to work with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) to develop automated method

North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) of Renens, Switzerland, and FIBRE Mechanics of Lymington, UK, are working together to develop high-performance composite products for boatyards that reduce labour t

A glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic that demonstrates low warpage and high flame retardance has been developed for use in electric vehicle battery parts by Lanxess of Cologne and HELLA KGaA Huec

OCSiAl is to build what it claims will be the world’s largest production facility for single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in Luxembourg, with the assistance of the country’s Ministry of the Eco

Metyx Group is reporting that it has concluded a multi-machinery deal with its long-time partner Karl Mayer Technische Textilien GmbH for the supply of warp-knitting production lines. 

Vartega, Steelhead Composites and Michelman, have fabricated what they claim to be the first composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) made from continuous recycled carbon fibre tow. 

The Institutes for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart are developing a production process for archit

KraussMaffei of Munich, Germany, and Roctool SA of Le Bourget du Lac, France, are working together to promote Roctool’s inductive mould heating technology (HD Plastics). 

Solvay Composite Materials of Heanor, UK, and GKN Aerospace’s Fokker business of Hoogeveen, The Netherlands, are teaming-up to promote and accelerate the adoption of thermoplastic composites for ae

US company LeMond Composites has signed an exclusive $US44-million deal to license technology developed by Deakin University’s carbon fibre research centre, Carbon Nexus, in Australia.