JEC 2013 at first blush
CT Editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan risks some immediate reactions to his week in Paris at the JEC Europe 2013 composites trade show.

Aachen University center will focus on production of lightweight structures
The Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production (AZL) in Aachen, Germany, will research materials and processes for high-volume manufacturing serving the oil and gas, water, infrastructure, construction and automotive end markets.

Epoxy wet laminating system
Gurit

Class A CFRP body panels: Six-minute cure
Gurit CBS-based laminate/process combo mints parts with twice the thermal performance in one-sixth the time.

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.

Gurit doubles composite automotive parts manufacturing capacity
U.K.-based Gurit has won a second contract (worth about €1.5 million) with an Italian automotive OEM, prompting Gurit to expand its carbon fiber composite automotive parts manufacturing capacity.

Gurit begins implementation of globally unified brand
Gurit's affiliated businesses — SP-High Modulus, Red Maple and Balseurop — will all be renamed and rebranded to employ the Gurit name and logo.

HPC for Aircraft Interiors Conference review
Colocated with Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas, CompositesWorld’s High-Performance Composites for Aircraft Interiors Conference focused on ways to get more composites inside the aircraft.

Kinetic sculpture made possible with carbon fiber composites
Halo, an unusual wind-activated kinetic sculpture is realized with the help of Gurit (Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K.) and molder Innovation Composites (South Nowra, New South Wales, Australia)

Tidal turbine blade toughened for turbulent salt sea
Demonstrator design proves robust blade destined for 10-MW tidal turbine farm.

Composites UK Innovation Awards 2012 fetes Great Britain's best
Gurit Automotive, Bac2 Ltd. and Tilsatec earn top honors at the awards dinner held in Birmingham, U.K., coinciding with the Composite Engineering Show.

Milking platforms: Composites transform New Zealand cow sheds
Waikato Milking Systems (Hamilton, New Zealand) introduced its Centrus composite milking platform in 2009 and, since then, has installed 24 platforms at customer sites. They're made via RTM Lite.

Two new yachts feature Gurit composite paneling
The Stimson 56 Alcedo and the Marc Deborde 78 IETA yachts both incorporate Gurit's Hi-Panel composite paneling system to reduce weight and speed manufacture.

Prepreg for wind blade spar caps
SparPreg, featuring Airstream coating technology, is a specialized prepreg developed by Gurit to enable the economic manufacture of high-quality unidirectional (UD) wind blade spar caps using advanced glass and carbon fibers.

Gurit core employed in composites that replace metal in dairy structure
Gurit provides G-PET recyclable structural foam core in the manufacture of composite panel used in a rotary platform for cow milking operations. The platform offers weight savings of 80 percent and can hold up 32.4 tonnes.

Epoxy prepreg for wind blades
Gurit has launched Velinox, a novel modified epoxy prepreg that features fast-cure characteristics and can be stored at temperatures in excess of 35°C/95°F.

Scottish tidal energy system features Gurit-made composite blades
The 1-MW tidal turbine system manufactured by ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest features blades made by Gurit using its SparPreg prepreg material.

Epoxy prepreg for wind blades
Gurit has launched Velinox, a novel modified epoxy prepreg that features fast-cure characteristics and can be stored at temperatures in excess of 35°C/95°F.

JEC Europe 2012 report
A big, busy show and a big variety of new developments boded well for the industry’s future.

Gurit signs on to help develop world's largest sailing yacht
SP-High Modulus, the marine business of Gurit, will provide composites design expertise for the 141m/463-ft Dream Symphony private sailing yacht.

Sailing the sea with composite wings
Autonomous sailing vessel patrols with patented WingSail technology.

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.

JEC Europe 2012: Exhibition previews
The JEC Europe 2012 composites trade show will be held March 27-29 in Paris. CompositesWorld will be there, and offers this preview of some of the new products and technologies that will be found at the show.

PET structural foam
Gurit has launched a new range of G-PET structural foam targeted toward the global wind turbine blade manufacturing and marine markets.

Sea and land transport: Hydro elevation
Composites lightweight and toughen the hull and superstructure of this transplanted amphibious naval hovercraft.

Gurit forms Engineered Structures business unit
Headed up by Graham Harvey, the new unit will emphasize conceptual design, structural engineering, material selection, rapid prototyping services and component manufacturing.

News Briefs: Aug. 30, 2011
EHA becomes EHA Composite Machinery GmbH; Gurit earns ISO/TS 16949:2009 certification; C. A. Litzler joins AFMA.

WINDPOWER 2011 Report
Wind energy advocates, turbine builders and their suppliers, policy makers, and a growing number of wind-involved composites professionals gather where it all began.

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

Gurit expands automotive structures supply contract
Gurit will continue to supply Class A body panels to an unidentified customer from 2012 to 2016 via a contract worth about $35 million.

New version of Sailrocket aims to break sailing speed world record
The revolutionary Sailrocket has undergone design changes that its builders say will give the unusual sailing craft the opportunity to make greater speed as it aims to break the outright world speed-sailing record.

Blade repair: Closing the maintenance gap
Citing difficult work conditions, lack of OEM guidance and underdeveloped inspection technologies, those who service wind turbine blades seek remedial solutions.

Gurit composites featured in Vestas Sailrocket 2
SP-High Modulus materials include Ampreg 22, prepregs from SP-High Modulus’ SE84LV and SE70 product lines and some dry reinforcements.

Q&A Forum: Automotive Composites
How will fiber-reinforced polymers fare in a post-recession, cost- and fuel-economy-obsessed auto market?

New composites products
New products from Web Industries, DuPont, Magnum Venus Plastech, Gurit and Ticona.

Gurit wins first big PET core supply contract in China
The PET core, for a wind blade manufacturing application, will be produced in Tianjin, China, where Gurit is installing at PET extruder.

Gurit blade repair system receives GL certification
Gurit has received Germanischer Lloyd certification for RENUVO, its wind blade repair system that offers a wider weather window than traditional systems, and cures in place with UV light.

Wind blade repair system
Gurit has announced the launch of RENUVO, a wind blade repair system that the company says addresses many of the practical issues that have prevented more effective and expedient maintenance programs.

Gurit to double PVC core production in China
The PVCellG-Foam family, developed for the manufacture of wind turbine rotor blades for the Chinese market, has met with positive customer response since the market launch of the full product portfolio in August.

Gurit’s Red Maple wins first wind blade mold work
Gurit's Red Maple tooling plant in China will deliver a wind blade mold to a customer in Europe.

Prepreg wind blade repair system
Gurit has launched RENUVO, a new wind turbine blade repair system that cures in minutes under UV light.

PVC structural foam for China's wind energy market
Gurit has introduced the PVCell G-Foam family, a range of new PVC structural foams, developed and produced at Gurit’s subsidiary, China Techno Foam, in Qingdao, China, for use in the manufacture of wind turbine rotor blades for the local Chinese market.

Composites tap tide energy
Composites-enabled tidal stream energy projects lead the way as new forms of hydrokinetic power generation move toward commercialization.

Besting Big Ben: A Marvel in Makkah
Composite design makes possible the world’s largest clock and tallest clock tower.

Wind blade repair system
Composites material supplier Gurit (Isle of Wight, U.K.) has launched its new wind turbine blade repair system called RENUVO.

F1-inspired MonoCell: Racing safety for the road
Resin transfer molding makes CFRP passenger cell mass-producible for new model supercar.

Gurit inaugurates new tooling production site of Red Maple
A new production campus of Red Maple in Taicang, China, more than doubles the shop floor space for development and manufacture of larger blade molds for wind turbines of up to 7 MW.

2010 SAMPE Europe/JEC Paris Showcase
Record crowds and reignited technological development testified to the composite industry’s renewed health and the recent recession’s demise.

JEC Composites 2010 Product Showcase
Although clouds of volcanic ash shut down postshow air traffic, the traffic on the show floor helped dispel the clouds of economic recession.

Wind foam sources: PET, SAN & PVC
That polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam is the core material of the future appears to be an open secret within the composites industry.

Core for composites: Winds of change
Core materials suppliers lean into the bracing breeze of big-blade challenges raised by the burgeoning wind energy industry.

Gurit emphasizes moldmaking strength with Chinese acquisition
Red Maple Suzhou moldmaking acquisition provides Gurit with low-cost, fast wind blade tool production.

Cost-effective carbon composite reflector dish
Modular manufacturing method forms different dish sizes with near mirror-perfect reflective surfaces, without resort to one-off tools.

Carbon/glass hybrid wins place on monohull for famed race
SP-High Modulus (Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K.) is supplying composite materials and engineering expertise for the M34, a new yacht design for the annual Tour de France à la Voile.

Consortium to build tidal turbine demonstrator in U.K
Gurit has secured an agreement with Pulse Tidal to engineer, supply tooling and manufacture the composite blades for a tidal stream 1-MW demonstrator.

Hexcel acquires license for Gurit's SPRINT technology
Hexcel will pay Gurit for the past and future use of Gurit’s SPRINT technology that is used in industrial prepregs.

SP-High Modulus to provide composites, expertise for Tour de France boat
SP-High Modulus will supply composite materials, engineering and expertise for the M34, a one design that has been selected for the prestigious Tour de France la Voile.

Gurit CBS for the Aston Martin DBS
Out-of-autoclave process mints Class A carbon composite body panels in one-hour mold cycle.

SP works with Argentinean boat builder on new race yacht
M Boats' S40 - One Design (SD40-OD) features SP's Ampreg 22 and Corecell M-Foam.

SP composite materials find home in superyacht tender
SP provided core, laminate and epoxy materials to help create two 7.5m/25.6-ft ribs and a new Lloyds-tested, MCA-compliant superyacht tender.

Gurit helps C-Boat make unprecedented use of composites
SP, the marine business of Gurit has supplied prepreg carbon fiber composite materials for a newly completed superyacht tender build.

Ocean-going catamarans: Making speed on composite hulls
This yacht is one of 13 composite yachts from sailboat builder Gunboat (Cape Town, South Africa) able to comfortably travel 300 nautical miles (345 miles/556 km) per day with a minimal crew. 

Structural marine foam core
SP, the marine business of Gurit has launched Corecell M-Foam, a new structural marine foam core.

Gurit to acquire Chinese structural foam manufacturer
The manufacturer of structural foam products is located in Tsingdao, China.

SP, Baltic Yachts finalize structural design on 60m ketch
Custom-built, composites-intensive Panamax yacht is said to feature largest ever single prepreg molding.

Composite footbridge installed in six hours
U.K. bridge spans railroad tracks and uses a Gurit out-of-autoclave epoxy.

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

Challenge of engineering retrofit blades
 Myriad interrelated design factors are considered in new blades for turbines originally built for high-wind regimes.

JEC Composites show produces flurry of composites news
Amber, Axson announce cooperation agreement; DSM, BÜFA launch two joint ventures; Hexcel will use Imperium ultrasonic cameras for NDI; Umeco reorganizes to create two primary business groups.

Gurit wins Chinese wind turbine order
Gurit will supply prepreg materials for an unnamed customer out of its Tianjin facility.

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

Finite element analysis garners performance gains for yacht component


Cutting-edge Vestas Sailrocket tops 52 knots, survives spill in record run
Gurit prepreg, adhesives and clearcoat helped the Vestas SailRocket achieve speeds of 47.36 knots.

New tooling paste enables complex pattern manufacture


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. 

Gurit cuts back in Canada
Citing slowdown among marine and wind energy customers, Gurit has announced workforce reductions at its Canadian facility.

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

Gurit wins contract to supply materials for wind blades
Gurit has signed a supply agreement with BTW Boading Tianwei Group to supply prepreg and kitted foam materials for wind turbine blades in China.

Gurit seeks to boost carbon fiber auto parts production
Gurit's new U.K. facility that makes parts for the Aston Martin DBS is starting to pay dividends.

Gurit divests Winter Sport business
Gurit has divested is sintered Winter Sport business to Austrian firm CPS GmbH.

Carbon car hood: Class A and cost-effective
Resin film infusion, electroformed nickel tooling meet Aston Martin quality and cost targets.