Epoxy vinyl ester resin
Ashland Performance Materials emphasized at JEC Europe 2013 its Derakane 601 epoxy vinyl ester resin system for use in wind turbine blade manufacturing.

JEC Europe 2013 review
Snow in Paris slowed traffic to the show floor but did nothing to cool the enthusiasm of composites innovators in a broad range of markets.

JEC Europe 2013 new product showcase
The JEC Europe 2013 trade show (March 12-14, at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, Paris, France) was the venue for introductions of a large number of new composite materials, technologies and manufacturing processes. Here's the CT editorial staff's compilation of what was on display.

Bio-composites update: Beyond eco-branding
No longer dependent only on their green credentials, some suppliers of bio-based fibers and resins are competing on price and performance.

Fire-resistant architectural panels
Ashland Performance Materials introduces fire-resistant exterior architectural building panels.

ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 review
Once again, cautious optimism, an abundance of revealing research and a parade of notable new products are ACMA convention keystones.

Ashland enters Russian composites resins market
Ashland has created Ashland Rus to help it better serve the Russian composites market.

Low-emission gelcoat
Ashland Performance Materials

The building envelope: Betting on the big time
Building code changes and growing architect familiarity feed more frequent composites use in large-scale commercial construction.

The structural grid: Prefabrication
Digitally designed and cut, preformed and preinfused stringers and bulkheads reduce boat weight, labor and cycle time and improve boatbuilder process control.

Composites slake the world's thirst
As the global thirst for drinkable water increases, the composites industry is drinking in the tremendous possibilities in seawater desalination.

ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 preview
For 2013, the American Composites Manufacturers Assn. (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) returns its annual U.S. COMPOSITES exhibition and convention to the East Coast’s sunny, fun capital, Orlando, Fla.

Cladding controversy: SMC insulation panels preserve pre-1919 building aesthetics
Acell (Milan, Italy) offers a solution for insulating older buildings that is designed to satisfy advocates of both architectural preservation and environmental conservation.

Industrial corrosion control: Huge opportunities
Fiber-reinforced plastic is the ideal but still widely ignored option in environments that eat away at most metal alloys. Opportunities abound, but the key is still education.

Ashland acquires rights to Valspar gelcoat blend
Ashland gets the rights to a majority of the gelcoat unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) blend technologies; the transaction includes technologies and formulations, but not manufacturing facilities.

Designing for high pressure: Large-diameter underground pipe
Careful analysis is needed to ensure success of buried composite piping for industrial applications.

Biz Briefs
Business briefs from Ashland Performance Materials, 3B, Hackwell Group, Sigmatex and Technical Fibre Products.

COMPOSITES 2012 Highlights
As ACMA’s annual conclave convened in North America’s gambling capital, show exhibitors and attendees placed their bets on better days.

Ashland, Acell form alliance to market SMC technology
Ashland Performance Materials will help market Italy-based Acell's sheet molding compound-based sandwich panel processing technology in North America.

SMC sandwich panels: Lean process opens doors
Patented process enables compression molding at lower pressures, saving capital equipment costs for panel fabrication.

SPE ACCE 2011: Growing again
The Society of Plastics Engineers’ 11th conference on automotive composites fields a top slate of speakers and attracts its largest crowd.

2011 High-Performance Resins Highlights
Attendees reviewed the current state of advanced resin technology and the tests that lay ahead for expanding composites into new applications and markets.

Green resins: Growing up
High hurdles remain, but the push for sustainable sources of resin monomers is gaining momentum.

JEC Composites Paris: 2011 Product Showcase
The news from this annual Parisian in-gathering of composites professionals is heavily weighted toward automotive lightweighting.

Tough resins for aggressive environments
New thermoset systems drive composites deeper into markets where fire, corrosion, stress and fatigue are ever-present threats.

Heavy-duty infusion: Scaling up for scrubbers
Infused 3-D woven fabric preforms best steel in beams and unitized deck structures built for the caustic confines of massive flue gas desulfurization systems.

Ashland launches redesigned website
Ashland's new website features reorganized product, market, application, contact and other information.

Ashland completes sale of distribution business
Nexeo Solutions LLC pays $979 million in cash for Ashland's global distribution business.

News Briefs
News from Huber, Quantum Composites, Siemens, Ashland.

Fiber-Tech receives EPA award for acetone-free work environment
Ashland Distribution helps composites molder Fiber-Tech win the EPA's Design for the Environment award for switching to an acetone-free work environment.

Ashland launches construction-centric Web site
Ashland's CompositeBuild.com connects composite manufacturers with architects, engineers, designers and builders.

Life Cycle Assessment: Are composites "green"?
Methods for calculating the impact composites have on the environment enable data-driven comparisons to traditional materials on a level playing field.

Double-bag infusion: 70% fiber volume?
A double vacuum-bag system and tight process control enable repeatable fiber volumes of 60 to 70 percent and improves consistency of infused laminates.

IBEX 2010: Looking up in Louisville
A new location helps regenerate a recession-battered industry, drawing in more exhibitors and attendees than in 2009.

GRPMS expands Ashland distribution in France
GRPMS will take over Ashland’s distribution and agency accounts from Azelis - France, and will distribute Ashland’s full line of polyester, acrylic, phenolic and vinyl ester resins, including the Derakane resin brand.

Ashland sells distribution business to investment group
New York-based investment firm TPG Capital acquires Ashland Distribution for $930 million.

News Briefs: Oct. 26, 2010
3A Composites website now in Chinese; GRPMS will continue to distribute Ashland resins; Matrix Composites certified to ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100:2004 Rev B.; Rolf Dothagen joins STRUCTeam; RH Schneidtechnik to represent Eastman Machine.

Blades? Yes! Towers ... maybe
Although steel dominates the utility-scale wind turbine tower market, height increases, on- and offshore, are shifting the wind toward composites.

Ashland resin featured in Shanghai roof panels
Ashland Performance Materials' Aropol resin was selected to produce translucent fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) roofing panels to cover an area of more than 172,000 ft²/15,979m².

Ashland takes control of Ara Química
Ashland Performance Materials took full control of the Brazilian company Ara Química in late April, concluding the joint venture entered into in 1999 when Ara Ashland was created.

Ashland to supply resin for composite towers project
Ashland materials will be part of a $1.1 million grant by the Ohio Third Frontier Advanced Energy Program to develop an all-composite wind turbine tower.

Composites 2010 Product Showcase
The ACMA’s Las Vegas exhibition reflected an industry in recovery.

Report from Detroit: NAIAS highlights
Electrics and hybrids make headlines, composites suppliers see hopeful signs after OEM restructuring.

UDRI exploring composite towers for wind turbines
The University of Dayton Research Institute proposes a program to develop a glass fiber composite wind turbine tower — manufactured and assembled on location.

News briefs: Feb. 23, 2010
AOC, Ashland, CCP increase resin prices; AVK calls for papers; Diversified Plastics achieves ISO 13485:2003 certification; Goldshield renews its ISO 9000 certification; RINA approves Scott Bader materials; Axel Seifert, Michael Skinner launch composites enabling business; University of Alabama at Birmingham announces 2010 composites conference.

Composites community makes noise at Composites 2010
After a tough 2009, the mood at the Composites 2010 show in Las Vegas, Feb. 9-11, was cautiously optimistic; exhibitors showed that product innovation hasn't slowed.

DDG-1000 Zumwalt: Stealth warship
U.S. Navy navigates radar transparency, cost and weight challenges with composite superstructure design.

Canadian boatbuilder commits to bio-derived resins in boat composites
Campion Marine Inc. will be the first boatbuilder in the world to manufacture all of its boats with Envirez bio-derived resin from Ashland Performance Materials.

Composites selected for new carbon capture system
Hetron epoxy vinyl ester resin from Ashland Performance Materials was used as part of a first-of-its-kind system in the U.S. for carbon capture and sequestration at American Electric Power's Mountaineer facility in New Haven, W.Va.

Free-form surfacing optimizes free-style kayak
The 6-ft/1.8m-long Project 54cx kayak, made using aramid and carbon fabric-reinforced composites, weighs only 19 lb/8.6 kg.

Antiballistics: Composites in the cross hairs
An increasing quantity and variety of fiber/polymer solutions are stopping bullets and blast debris in armored ground vehicles and stationary structures.

IBEX 2009 Marine Composites Showcase
The 19th International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference endures the economic “perfect storm” on the Florida coast and looks forward to fairer weather inland.

SPE ACCE 2009 Show Highlights
The Society’s annual conclave highlights composites use in new hybrids and electrics and its prospects in a “post-depression” auto industry.

Automotive X PRIZE contender’s composites incorporate carbon nanotubes
The Velozzi SOLO reportedly will be the first vehicle to make use of carbon fiber nanotubes.

Corvette's carbon hood creates shock and awe
North America’s first mass-produced, all-CFRP hood raises the bar for production sports cars.

SPE's ACCE 2009 Show Preview
The Society’s 2009 Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition charts an industry at a crossroads.

Researchers nano-enhance natural fiber
Mississippi State University uses nanoparticle impregnation to improve the performance of kenaf fiber in composites.

JEC Composites 2009 showcase
 Despite the doleful state of the global economy, the turnout in Paris — exhibitors and visitors — proved surprisingly strong.

Composite wing key to high-speed stability
First mass-produced CFRP wing helps supercar achieve downforce and lateral acceleration values superior to many GT racing cars.

CNC routers optimize cooling tower build
Although cooling towers traditionally have been made with wood and concrete, composite materials are gaining acceptance due to their corrosion and rot resistance, light weight and ease of installation.

COMPOSITES+POLYCON 2009 Showcase
Despite the deepening recession, composites pros returned to the show in its new time slot to explore the wealth of products and services collected here.

Resin systems update: The greening of thermosets
 Thermoset resin formulators seek environmental benefits as customers demand reduced cost and increased performance.

Composites ride and support the rails
Increased ridership and heavier axle loads on rail systems around the world signal a potential boon for composites. 

The markets: Boatbuilding (2011)
The 2008-2009 recession has hit the boatbuilding industry particularly hard, recalling a previous slump in 2003. But as 2009 closed out, boat business indicators were up, and the year was marked by some unusual construction projects that demonstrated composites continuing expansion in this segment.

The matrix
The matrix material binds the fiber reinforcement, gives the composite component its shape and determines the quality of its surface. A matrix can be polymeric, ceramic or metallic. Polymer matrices are the most widely used for composites in commercial and high-performance aerospace applications.

Energy Composites delivers first of several fiber-reinforced tanks
The 43-ft-high tanks are made with a vertical winding device developed by Energy Composites.

Integrated drop-in-place superstructure the solution for Eight Mile Bridge


2008 SPE Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition
The annual gathering of automotive composites experts revealed significant effort to make composites more affordable and efficient and mold cycle times faster. 

IBEX 2008 postshow review
Despite a sluggish boatbuilding market, this annual Miami marine showcase was the platform for the introduction of innovative composite products.

News briefs -- Nov. 18, 2008
Ashland unveils new management team; Atlas Materials Testing facility reacredited; Dow Automotive creates commercial transport team; DSM names Michael Effing business unit director; Jet Edge names David Anderson international sales manager; Lars Mehling named sales area manager for Menzolit Compounds; Jim Clark joins PlastiComp; Spartanics names Mike Bacon VP sales and marketing.

Engineered fiberglass cladding replaces metal for retail architectural applications
 When FormaShape's (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada) engineering manager Henry Czenczek approached Husky Energy, one of Canada's largest energy companies, his demonstration of the way fiberglass composites could dramatically improve the look, weatherability and vandal-resistance of the ribbed tin architectural cladding on Husky's Travel Centre retail outlets was enough to persuade Husky execs to overhaul the entire network. For the Husky project, FormaShape applied NEi Nastran finite element analysis software, Solidworks 3D, supplied by Noran Engineering Inc. (Westminster, Calif.

Campion Boats Launches First Test Boats with New Bio-resin
Campion Boats (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada) has built and successfully tested the first high-performance pleasure boats with hulls, liners and decks molded from composites with bio-resin matrices. The bio-resin, ENVIREZ 86300 T-25, formulated by Ashland Performance Materials, Composite Polymers (Dublin, Calif,

Automotive Composites: Taking Subjectivity out of Class A Surface Evaluation
 Toward the goal of more consistent, repeatable and quantifiable Class A surface analysis, automakers and systems suppliers are developing and employing automated surface inspection tools.

Composites Pick Up New Applications in Light Trucks
Long a bastion of steel, the tougher-duty pickup segment of the light truck market is warming to the benefits of composites.

Ashland bioresin debuts in boat
Ashland's bio-based ENVIREZ resin is seeing extensive use in a new boat from Campion Boats.

EPTA’S 2008 WORLD PULTRUSION CONFERENCE
The 9th installment of this international meeting of pultruders testified to this sector’s increasingly scientific approach to product development.

HYBRID COMPOSITE PANEL UNLOCKS HIDDEN VALUE
SMC and flax/polypropylene come together in a single component to add functionality to Nissan’s Sentra.

Bio-Composites Update: Bio-Based Resins Begin to Grow
Substituting agricultural for fossil-based feedstocks in polymer resins is not new, but maturing technology now promises composites less dependent on petrochemicals for their performance.

FRP troughs help remove iron from mine water discharge
For more than 60 years, iron from iron ore deposits has polluted water that flows out of the abandoned Marchand Mine near Lowber, Pa., into Sewickley Creek and the Youghiogheny River. After it was shut down in the early 1940s, the mine began to discharge iron — almost 1 million lb (more than 450,000 kg) annually. In

IBEX 2007 Breaks Boat Show Record
In Miami Beach, IBEX, with 900 exhibitors, produces its — and the world's — largest boatbuilding event.

SMC Flexes Muscles in Other Markets
Often identified with automotive body applications, sheet molding compound shows growing promise in a variety of other temperature- and weather-resistant applications.

Marine barrier coat
Ashland Performance Materials, Composite Polymers (Dublin, Ohio) has developed AME VPRO-012, a new barrier coat for professional boatbuilding applications. The coating is said to provide good surface profile and blister protection, when applied with the standard gel coat spray equipment that is available in typical

New hybrid electric bus takes advantage of composites
Mobile Energy Solutions LLC (MES, Golden, Colo.) will soon premiere a “green” transit bus, featuring a fuel cell/hybrid permanent-magnet electric propulsion system (built by UQM Technologies, Frederick, Colo.) optimized for fuel efficiency with an all-composite body. The low-floor, 37-passenger vehicle is being

Bonding Technology: Thermosetting Structural Adhesives
A wealth of epoxies, polyurethanes and acrylics speed assembly and cut manufacturing cost in an ever-wider range of composites applications.

JEC Composites 2007 Product Showcase
This year’s Parisian exhibition provides key evidence of the composites industry’s unprecedented breadth and technical sophistication.

Composite Automotive Crush Structures
Tests that characterize, isolate and accurately measure energy absorption modes provide auto engineers the data they need to develop predictive CAE models.

Inside manufacturing: Dual-Laminate Pipe Comes of Age
Computerized pipe fusion and customized multimandrel filament winding equipment mass-produces nearly four miles of pipe for chemical plant in China.

Engineering Insights: All-Composite Hovercraft Rises to Performance Challenge
An exclusive look at a lightweight pultruded and resin-infused design that sets a new standard for amphibious craft.

Innovation Driving Automotive SMC
New materials, methods and machinery are restoring sheet molding compound's preferred material status for automotive and heavy truck body panels.

People briefs - 2/1/2007
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Sartomer Co. (Exton, Pa. ) has named Dr.

IBEX 2006 Boat Show Showcase
Composites and composite molding processes make strong statement in Miami.

Corvette converts floor panels, wheelhousings from glass to chopped carbon


Corvette gets leaner with carbon fiber hood
Advances in materials and processing yield high-volume, low-mass hood for GM flagship.