CW Blog

Carbon Fibers

Optimizing machining for composites: Tool designs, processes and Industry 4.0 systems

Hufschmied moves beyond optimized milling and drilling tools to develop SonicShark inline quality control system and Cutting Edge World cloud platform for optimized tool use and processes.

Watch
Thermoplastics

Plant tour: Sekisui Aerospace, Orange City, Iowa, Renton and Sumner, Wash., U.S.

Veteran composites sites use kaizen and innovation culture to expand thermoplastic serial production, 4.0 digitization and new technology for diversified new markets.

Watch
Aerospace

The future of quartz and oxide fibers at Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramic Composites

New business builds on 100-year legacy in quartz, prepares for growth, while starting production of oxide fibers to meet increased demand for CMC by aerospace and industrial sectors.

Read More
Aerospace

From the CW Archives: Drilling is not for the faint of heart

This edition of From the CW Archives revisits CW’s first plant tour — a visit to the F-35 FAL in Fort Worth, Texas — and a story by Ginger Gardiner a few years later. Both offer lessons on how to perform stacked drilling through composite and metallic materials. 

Read More
Biomaterials

European boatbuilders lead quest to build recyclable composite boats

Marine industry constituents are looking to take composite use one step further with the production of tough and recyclable recreational boats. Some are using new infusible thermoplastic resins.

Read More
Feature

Composites end markets: Electronics (2024)

Increasingly, prototype and production-ready smart devices featuring thermoplastic composite cases and other components provide lightweight, optimized sustainable alternatives to metal.

Read More
Sustainability

Demonstrator project targets circularity solutions in carbon fiber composite sports equipment

The Carbon Fibre Circular Alliance (CFCA) brought together OEMs and technical partners to reclaim short carbon fibers from end-of-life sports equipment, realign into continuous prepreg tapes and remanufacture into new equipment.

Watch
Sustainability

Episode 44: Andy West, Sonichem

CW interviews Dr. Andy West of Sonichem, about the company’s ultrasonic process for converting biomass into lignin, as well as other biomaterials of interest for composites manufacturing.

Listen
Carbon Fibers

Designing and manufacturing turbine test nacelles

Michigan-based Ground Test Solutions (GTS) shares the design and manufacturing processes involved in building composite nacelle components used in testing jet and helicopter engines.

Read More
Thermoplastics

Update: THOR project for industrialized, recyclable thermoplastic composite tanks for hydrogen storage

A look into the tape/liner materials, LATW/recycling processes, design software and new equipment toward commercialization of Type 4.5 tanks.

Read More
Defense

Defense manufacturer reflects on growth, opportunity in complex composite structures

Long Island-based, four-time CW Top Shops honoree GSE Dynamics cites diversification in processes, digitalization, workforce training and more on its successes over 50+ years, and looks ahead to future growth.

Read More

Multi-scale 3D CT imaging enables digital twinning, high-fidelity simulation of composite structures

Computed tomography (CT) provides highly accurate 3D analysis of internal microstructure, performance simulation of carbon fiber/PEEK satellite strut.

Read More
Composite Raw Materials
NPE 2024
CAMX 2024
NPE 2024