Composites

The biorefinery by-product​ lignin is being used by researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee to produce an affordable composite for additive ma

SGL Carbon is to supply carbon fibres and semi-finished textile products for a range of components in BMW’s upcoming electric vehicle (EV), the iNEXT, after signing an agreement with the carmaker. 

By combining a seaweed-derived alginate used in biomedical applications with graphene oxide (GO), USA-based researchers have developed a composite that is durable and can respond dynamically to its

The National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, UK, is to invest £36.7 million in equipment that will enable it to develop new processes for the manufacture of composite parts.

Mikrosam of Prilep, Macedonia, has delivered an automated fibre placement (AFP) system to The Department of Lightweight Design and Structural Materials (LsW) at Brandenburg University of Technology

Composites that become tougher under cyclic loading have been developed by a team led by researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, USA.

GKN Aerospace is to open a £32-million research and development (R&D) centre in Bristol, UK, to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies for the manufacture of aircraft.

Scaffolds of graphene foam have been used by researchers at Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA, to improve the electrical conductivity and compressive modulus of epoxy resin.

Boeing and ELG Carbon Fibre are working together to recycle waste aerospace-grade carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) so that it can be used by other companies to make products such as electroni

A method for coating jute fibres with graphene oxide, which improves their mechanical properties and those of composites reinforced with them, has been developed by researchers at the University of

Hexcel Corp of Stamford, Connecticut, is to acquire a supplier of electromagnetic interference (EMI)-shielding composites for military, aerospace and industrial applications, ARC Technologies Inc o

Researchers at the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU Research School of High Energy Physics in Russia are combining multiple methods to create an advanced flaw detection system for complex and larg

Software that will help manufacturers better understand the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) on composite electrical aircraft (CEAs) are being developed through a European Union (EU) a

The addition of graphene from Talga Resources to carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) significantly enhances their electrical and thermal conductivity, according to the company of Perth, Wester

Flax fibre has been used by Composites Evolution of Chesterfield, UK, to reduce the cost of carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy mould tools.

Ineos Enterprises of Runcorn, UK, has agreed to acquire the entire composites business of Ashland Global Holdings Inc of Covington, Kentucky, USA, for US$1.1 billion.

Nonwovens producer Technical Fibre Products (TFP) of Kendal, UK, is to increase its production capacity by 50% by 2020 in response to increasing demand for its products. 

A lightweight and efficient heating system based on multilayer webs of highly aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could be used to prevent ice from building-up on aircraft.  

Carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) that are able to provide data on their own structural integrity are being developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, USA

Production of glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) in Europe will have grown by around 2% (compared with 2017) to

Ongoing research led by the US Department of Energy (DoE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, could lead to the use of a biomass-derived acrylonitrile (ACN) precursor

A carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) chassis developed by KW Special Projects (KWSP) is to be used by Swedish car company Uniti of Lund for its affordable electric vehicle (EV), the Unit

McLaren Automotive has opened its £50-million Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield, UK.

A pair of stiff and strong reinforced polyamides (PAs) for additive manufacturing applications has been launched by DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers of Wilmington, Delaware, USA.

Lightweight, easy-to-use carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger dummies have been developed by Indupol of Arendonk, Belgium.

Thermwood of Dale, Indiana, USA, has released further details of its vertical layer printing (VLP) method, which enables large parts to be manufactured in one piece.

Chomarat of Le Cheylard, France, has invested in a pilot production line for the development of laid scrim for construction applications.

Porcher Industries’ US subsidiary BGF Industries Inc is spending US$7 million to relocate its headquarters, and research and development (R&D) activities from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Dan

Carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) structural batteries – which carry mechanical load and store electrical energy – are being developed by researchers at Chalmers University in ‎Gothenburg, Swe

A composite cantilever support for rail passenger seating has been developed using a bio-based prepreg by Composites Evolution, Bercella and Element Materials Technology.

Wind turbines with blades made using Covestro’s polyurethane (PU) infusion resin system have been put into operation for the first time.

Lanxess has launched reinforced polyamide 6s (PA 6s) that it claims are several times more resistant to fatigue under cyclic loads than standard products with the same glass fibre content.

Carbon fibre recycling start-up Vartega of Golden, Colorado, USA, is leading a project to develop a closed-loop process for recycling scrap from the manufacture of automotive parts made of carbon f

A textile composite designed to absorb sound in vehicles has been developed by Freudenberg of Weinheim, Germany.

Bond-Laminates GmbH of Brilon, Germany, is increasing the production capacity for its continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (Tepex).

By the end of 2018, Ford plans to be using graphene in ten under-the-bonnet (under-the-hood) components on its F-150 and Mustang.

Production-quality tooling for the aerospace industry can now be produced using additive manufacturing (AM) according to machinery supplier Thermwood of Dale, Indiana, USA.

A consortium in Australia is to develop composites for use in railways as part of a Aus$10-million project.

An embroidery process (Tailored Fibre Placement (TFP)), developed by ZSK Technical Embroidery Systems is being used by Shape Group to manufacture the wheel arch of Elemental Motor Co's RP1 sportsca

A 15-ha (37-acre) plant for the manufacture of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor and carbon fibre has been opened in Isère, France, by Hexcel.

Less than two months after its establishment, a consortium in Germany focused on the development of thermoplastic composites and related processing technologies for the aerospace and automotive ind

Gurit of Zurich, Switzerland, is to acquire all shares of core material kits supplier JSB Group Ringkøbing, Denmark, for £62.1 million (DKK520 million).  

An overmoulding process for the economical manufacture of parts using reinforced thermoplastic sheets and a consolidation press for the processing of unidirectional fibre-reinforced thermoplastic t

Advanced fibre-reinforced wood (AFRW), laminated timbers that contain thin layers of high-performance textiles, is to be used in a building for the first time.

Cost-effective, scalable methods for the production of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are to be developed by a consortium in the UK with the aim of improving the performance of electric v

Renault and its partners have been presented with an award for the composite guide rails employed in the rollerblind sunroof module for the panoramic roof system featured on two of its multipurpose

A 500-m² facility dedicated to the research and development (R&D) of fibre placement for the high-volume production of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) has been opened in Ger

The benefits of using thermoplastic tapes to reinforce specific areas of injection-moulded parts are to be evaluated through a research project instigated by RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

A carbon fibre-filled polyamide (PA) 6.66 filament (Novamid ID1030 CF10) for three-dimensional (3D) printing has been launched by Royal DSM of Heerlen, The Netherlands.