Composites

The German Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK) of Frankfurt has elected a new board.

North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) of Renens, Switzerland, says that its ThinPreg 736LT epoxy prepreg system has now been approved by Lloyd’s Register.  

The University of Nottingham in the UK is to host the Future Composites Manufacturing Hub.

Gurit of Zurich, Switzerland, has acquired Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF’s polyethylene terephthalate (PET) structural foam business. 

Fokker of Papendrecht, The Netherlands, is working with Airbus and other partners to develop smart variants of its fibre metal laminates (FMLs), previously branded as Glare.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in the UK claim to have built the world’s first reconfigurable carbon fibre composite robotic machine tool.

The first course to train inspectors in the airline and aircraft manufacturing industries nondestructive inspection techniques (NDI) for solid-laminate composite materials has been developed by the

An epoxy resin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam sandwich panel from Sicomin of Marseille, France, and 3A Composites Core Materials of Sims, Switzerland, has been tested to fire classification

Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH is investing to expand the capacity of its performance foams business at its production site in Darmstadt, Germany. 

Quickstep Holdings of Sydney, New South Wales, is working with Futuris Automotive Group of Melbourne, Victoria (both in Australia), to develop a composite front seat back for automotive manufacture

The development of fibre-based materials for high-performance applications is the goal of the Future Fibres Hub, a research and development (R&D) centre established within Deakin University’s I

Two key contracts between Hexcel Corp and Airbus Group have been amended, with the former expecting these contracts to generate total sales of US$15 billion.

Boeing has opened a new composite centre at its campus in St Louis, Missouri, USA

Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) are between them investing nearly US $50 million in their shared manufacturing

Durable thermoplastic foams and composites that can be used to make wind turbine blades lighter and more recyclable than conventional blades are being developed as part of European Union (EU)-funde

Solvay of Brussels, Belgium, is increasing its capacity for the production of composites with a new resin facility and an upgraded site in Östringen, Germany.

SCIGRIP of Durham, North Carolina, has completed an agreement to acquire Arjay Technologies Inc of Largo, Florida, a manufacturer of bonding compounds for the composites industry. 

Prepreg producer North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) of Renens, Switzerland,  has been chosen to supply composites for a proposed Thin Aperture Light Collector (TALC) space telescope project.

Composites able to heal themselves at low temperatures are being developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK and the Harbin Institute of Technology in China. 

Mikrosam has delivered a fully automated filament winding line for compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks to global automotive supplier Magna’s plant in Graz, Austria. 

Teijin Ltd is to acquire North American automotive composites supplier Continental Structural Plastics Holdings (CSP) Corp for US$825 million. 

A three-dimensionally (3D) printed composite trim-and-drill tool has received the title of ‘largest solid 3D printed’ item by Guinness World Records. 

Stratasys Inc of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, has developed two pieces of additive manufacturing technology for producing composite structures: Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator; Infinite-Build 3D

Owens Corning has announced plans to invest US$110 million to increase the production capacity of its composites operations in India.

Demand in the US for composites reinforced with carbon, aramid and S-glass fibres will rise by 5.3% per year to a value of $10.0 billion in 2020, according to a recent report from Freedonia Group. 

Royal DSM and specialty chemicals producer Zhejiang NHU Special Materials Co Ltd have inaugurated a joint-venture (JV) company for polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) compounds. 

A project focussing on both decreasing the cost of manufacture and increasing the design flexibility for automotive thermoplastic composites has been initiated by the Institute for Advanced Composi

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) in Atlanta, USA, have developed a system that enables carbon fibre-reinforced epoxies to be recycled easily and cheaply. 

Glass fibre fabrics from Hexcel Reinforcements have been used by Dasyc SA for the manufacture of its Composite Modular Transportable Hangar (CMTH). 

The US$50-million Indiana Manufacturing Institute – based in the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, USA, and housing the Center for Composites Manufacturing and Simulation – has officially ope

Recycling specialist ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd of Coseley, UK, has joined the US Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). 

The National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, UK, has signed a collaborative innovation agreement with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).

PolyOne Corp has acquired Gordon Composites and Polystrand from Gordon Holdings.  

METYX Composites, a division of textiles company Telateks AS, is in the process of doubling the size of its production facilities at its main manufacturing centre in Manisa, Turkey.  

Technology that can be seamlessly incorporated into composites to create a high-capacity, resilient data transfer network has been developed by TWI of Cambridge, UK.

Impossible Objects of North Brook, Illinois, has added carbon fibre-reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) to its three-dimensional (3D) printing range.

A glass fibre-reinforced polyamide (PA) 6 is being used to produce the oil pan module for the six-cylinder boxer engines used in the Porsche 911 Carrera.

A continuous carbon and glass fibre-reinforced polycarbonate (PC) is being used by LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co KG of Fuerth, Germany, to produce thin-walled, decorated housings for electronic d

At the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK in July, QinetiQ unveiled a material that could make composite aircraft structures three times more resistant to impacts such as bird and

Long fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) specialist PlastiComp Inc has invested in a dedicated research and development (R&D) laboratory at its headquarters in Winona, Minnesota, USA. 

Henkel has opened a composites laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. 

North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) has opened its new production facility in Zory, Poland. 

As part of plans to increase its presence in Europe and North America, Chinese glass fibre producer Jushi of Tongxiang has started its second glass fibre furnace in Suez, Egypt. 

Carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) manufacturer Quickstep Holdings has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with shipbuilder DCNS Group. 

A unique herringbone structure observed in the outer layer of the mantis shrimp's dactyl club is inspiring the development of high-strength composites. 

A flame, smoke and toxicity (FST)-retardant thermoset system offers a high level of design freedom for rolling stock interiors, according to its developer Huntsman Advanced Materials. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) of Tennessee and Cincinnati Inc of Harrison, Ohio (both in the USA), have signed a nonexclusive licensing agreement on ORNL patents related to large-scale addit

The first polyurethane (PU) rotor blade for wind turbines in Asia has been manufactured by Covestro of Leverkusen, Germany.