Composites

The world's first welded carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) pressure bulkhead for a single-aisle aircraft is being developed by engineers at Premium Aerotec of Augsburg, Germany.

Spirit AeroSystems has disclosed details of the work being undertaken at its facility in Prestwick, UK, on the fabrication and assembly of leading edges, wing boxes and lower wing covers for Airbus

A composite–metal anti-roll bar for trucks and trains is being developed by a research consortium in the UK.

A developer and manufacturer of a novel three-dimensional (3D) carbon fibre reinforcement for the production of impact resistant and durable composites has this year raised US$1.75 million in fundi

For the first time on a commercial basis, polyurethane (PU) raw materials from Covestro have been used for the production of wind blades.

Researchers in the USA are taking inspiration from the shield (known as a telson) found in the tail of the mantis shrimp to design impact-resistant composites.

US companies Raytheon Co of Waltham, Massachusetts, and United Technologies Corp of Farmington, Connecticut, are to merge through a transaction that is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

Researchers in the USA have demonstrated that vehicle armour made using composite metal foam (CMF) can stop large-calibre ball and armour-piercing rounds as effectively as conventional steel armour

Additive manufacturing (AM) start-up Arris Composites has secured US$10 million in funding to develop a process that it says will “address the scalability problem of AM and the steep costs and limi

Fibres spun from lunar rocks could help attempts to colonize the Moon by providing the basis of reinforcements for structures made using raw materials that do not need transportation from Earth.

A recyclable and lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFTRP) spaceframe for passenger rail carriages has been developed in the UK.

Plants for the production of engineering plastics and thermoplastic polyurethanes will be the first to be built at BASF’s US$10-billion chemical production site in Zhanjiang, China, according to th

A  medium-wave infra-red (IR) heating system from Heraeus Noblelight is being used in the research and development of methods for the manufacture of composite parts from thermoplastics at the UK’s

A flame-retardant (FR) composite designed for use in additive manufacturing processes has been launched by Markforged of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

A line for the production of unidirectional (UD) fibre-reinforced thermoplastic tapes is to be launched by Karl Mayer of Obertshausen, Germany.

Carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) from Teijin Ltd are being employed by General Motors (GM) to manufacture pickup boxes for selected models of its vehicles.

The National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, UK, has secured a prestigious new partner and has cemented relations with another.

A project through which mixed-material joining technologies will be tested and evaluated has been established by research institutes Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow (LIFT) of Detroit and the C

A prototype battery enclosure for NIO’s electric vehicles that is made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) has been developed by the Chinese carmaker in partnership with SGL Carbon.

A textile tape designed for wrapping composite pipes that transport high-pressure fluids, such as those used in the oil extraction industry, has been developed by Chomarat.

Reinforcement fabrics that are supplied by Hexcel with adhesive dots patterned on their surfaces have been used by Sunseeker for the manufacture of its latest performance cruiser.

A glass fibre-reinforced sheet moulding compound (SMC) from CSP Victall is being used to produce the pickup boxes of Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC)’s Yuhu 3 and Yuhu 5 trucks—the first such use of com

The development of an all-thermoplastic drive-shaft with an integral, overmoulded gear won herone GmbH of Dresden, Germany, an Innovation Award in the Aerospace category at JE

A carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) moulding compound from Hexcel of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, has been used to produce an automotive transmission cross-member using what the company claims

A unidirectional (UD) carbon fibre fabric that can be used to create the thick laminates necessary for the production of long wind turbine blades has been developed by Ahlstrom-Munksjö of Stockholm

The first centre in the world designed to carry-out large-scale fatigue testing of composite tidal turbine blades is to be built in the UK as part of a partnership between the University of Edinbur

The developer of a polymer (vitrimer⁽¹⁾) that demonstrates the strength of a thermoset, but can be re-melted when heated above its glass transition temperature (T_g) like a the

A life-cycle assessment (LCA) has shown that a laptop computer cover made of a continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic from Covestro has a carbon footprint 70% smaller than that of a cover made f

SFS Intec GmbH Aircraft Components is working with TxV Aero Composites to manufacture cheap, lightweight aircraft storage-bin brackets from reinforced thermoplastics using a hybrid overmoulding pro

A car door made from multiple composites that meets crash performance specifications while being 35% lighter in weight than steel-made equivalents will be showcased at JEC World.

An automated system for the accurate and rapid inspection of composites is to be housed at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, UK.

A production facility for long glass fibre-reinforced polypropylene (LGFPP) is to be built by Mitsui Chemicals Inc at the site of its Chinese manufacturing subsidiary Mitsui Advanced Composites (Zh

A carbon fibre-reinforced bismaleimide (BMI) prepreg that is resistant to high temperatures and impacts has been developed by Teijin for the production of parts for aerospace engines.  

Construction‑grade cross‑laminated timber (CLT) is being produced from heat-treated wood and carbon fibre recycled from Boeing aeroplanes by researchers in Washington State, USA.

A range of surface modifiers formulated specifically for manufacturers of technical textiles and prepregs is to be unveiled by Michelman of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Mitsui & Co Ltd has bought additional shares in a manufacturer of plastic-lined carbon fibre reinforced-plastic (CFRP) pressure cylinders, Hexagon Composites ASA, for NOK123 million (about €12.

Hyosung Advanced Materials Corp is to invest 46.8 billion won (about €36.5 million) to expand its carbon fibre production plant in JeonJu, South Korea.

A way to measure how the three-dimensional (3D) alignment of molecules in a material changes in response to applied force has been developed in Maryland, USA.

Teijin Ltd has agreed to acquire US manufacturer and supplier of highly heat-resistant thermoset prepregs for the aerospace industry Renegade Materials Corp.

The developer of a novel pultrusion process claims that it is capable of producing affordable carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts in high-enough volumes for the mainstream automotive indus

A thermally insulating composite housing for batteries used in electric vehicles has been developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF)

Turkish manufacturer of reinforcement fabrics for composites Metyx Group is to boost production capacity at its site in Ranlo, North Carolina,

A US development programme has yielded what is believed to be the largest autoclave-capable tool to be produced using additive manufacturing. 

Carbon fibres with a uniform, porous structure have been produced for the first time by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, USA.

Victrex has invested in novel mould-heating technology as it seeks to overcome existing challenges to the widespread use of thermoplastic composite parts.

A method for improving the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics of aluminium vehicle subframes using carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) has earned its developers a nomination fo

A flame-retardant (FR), bio-resin-based prepreg has passed the stringent fire testing necessary for it to be used in trains that cannot be evacuated from the side, as is the case in many undergroun

A prototype extruder that can be used to recycle a wide range of materials has been developed by researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in Espoo.

Resin-infusion equipment for the manufacture of large composite parts has been installed at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, UK.