Boeing's new Salt Lake City facility to have MTorres equipment
Contour tape layer machines will be up and running by mid-2014.

Biz Briefs: HPC November 2012
News briefs from Vexxel Composites, Associated Industries, MTorres, BAE Systems and EADS.

MTorres acquires Pacifica Engineering Inc.
Pacifica, based in Washington State, provides composite tool design, engineering and design/build services to the aerospace and defense industries.

Composites automation: Trending smaller and robotic
Although AFP and automated tape laying (ATL) lamination technologies are widely used in the aircraft industry, market conditions in the past few years are driving some changes in composites equipment supplier product lines. Consultant Carroll Grant explains why.

The Plane in Spain
Site tours provide a rare glimpse into the Iberian Peninsula’s aerospace composites sector, with a special focus on Airbus’ activities at Illescas.

A350 XWB update: Smart manufacturing
Spirit AeroSystems actualizes Airbus’ intelligent design for the A350’s center fuselage and front wing spar in Kinston, N.C.

Embraer opens Florida bizjet assembly plant, may produce UAVs
Feb. 21 marked the opening of Sao Paulo, Brazil-based aircraft manufacturer Embraer’s first U.S. manufacturing facility, at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Fla.

Q&A: Manuel Torres Martinez
At the 2011 JEC Composites Show in Paris, CT had the opportunity to interview MTorres Group chairman Manuel Torres Martinez, excerpts from which appear here.

Status update on composites automation
Consultant Carroll Grant reviews progress made in recent years toward greater variety in automated composites processing machine sizes configurations and capabilities.

Out-of-autoclave prepregs: Hype or revolution?
Oven-cured, vacuum-bagged prepregs show promise in production primary structures.

GKN A350 spar program update
Automated fiber placement to replace established tape laying/drape forming process for the composite rear spars on the new midsize commercial passenger jet.

Spirit AeroSystems opens Kinston composite aerostructures plant
The 500,000-ft² facility in Kinston, N.C., will use composites to manufacture the 65-ft center fuselage section for the Airbus A350 XWB, as well as the 105-ft front wing spar.

SAMPE 2010 Seattle Preview
New decade, new venue, new economy, new M&P opportunities.

Airbus produces first A350 wingbox panel, awards contract to ATK
The panel for the center wing box, entirely made of carbon fiber using an MTorres tape-laying machine, has a surface area of 36m²/388 ft².

Automating wind blade manufacture
 Recent technology announcements portend a new era of more efficient blade production.

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

MTorres to supply fiber placement, machining equipment for A350
Spirit will use the TORRESFIBERLAYUP automated fiber placement machine to build the Airbus A350 XWB wing front spar.

AFP/ATL design-to-manufacture: Bridging the gap
Managing production of a structure made via fiber or tape placement often requires software-aided  manipulation of the subtle differences between that which is designed and that which can be manufactured.

SAMPE Europe/JEC Composites 2009 preview
SAMPE Europe’s 30th annual spring conclave and the nearby JEC Composites Show characterize the latest in material and process technologies.

ATL and AFP: Signs of evolution in machine process control
Improved machine-control software, placement accuracy and design simulation have made automated fiber placement and tape laying machines truly production-worthy. The evolution, however, still continues.

ATL and AFP: Defining the megatrends in composite aerostructures
Automated tape laying and automated fiber placement technologies take a key enabling role in production of today’s — and tomorrow’s — composite-airframed commercial jets.

Aviation Outlook: Fuel pricing ignites demand for composites in commercial transports
A confluence of aircraft OEM technical innovation and economic pressures on their airline customers creates increasingly favorable market conditions for aerospace composites.

Managing multi-axis manufacturing
Much early computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery served short-run military and space programs where cost per part was too high to be acceptable in the manufacture of commercial aircraft. Now, Automated CNC machinery moves toward volume production and part-specific design.

Boeing 787 Update
Approaching rollout and first flight, the 787 relies on innovations in composite materials and processes to hit its targets

Designing automation for productivity
Integrated, multistage work cell cuts cost and increases speed, accuracy of hole drilling on the F/A-18 E/F fighter jet's vertical stabilizer.