In
HPC May 2009, we reported that an ElectroImpact (Mukilteo, Wash.) automated fiber placement machine and CGTech (Irvine, Calif.) programming software produced the forward fuselage section for the Boeing 787
Dreamliner at Spirit AeroSystems (Wichita, Kan.). Spirit tells us that an ElectroImpact machine will come online this summer, but work on the forward fuselage has been performed, thus far, with equipment and software from Ingersoll Machine Tools Inc. (Rockford, Ill.).
In our May issue’s “Focus on Design” feature on the Dodge Viper, we incorrectly labeled metric conversions on p. 60. In the following statement, we used mm (millimeters) where cm (centimeters) was the correct notation: “The final CFRP design, at 72-inches/183-cm wide by 8-inches/20-cm deep, weighs only 7.5 lb/3.4 kg — 50 to 80 percent less than if it had been produced via the aluminum, thermoplastic or SMC options.”