Revolutionizing the composites cost paradigm, Part 2: Forming
Boeing-led parts trials explore infusion, compression molding and thermoplastics, offering lessons and supply chain options to better compete with aluminum.
Ginger Gardiner
Senior Editor, CompositesWorld
Revolutionizing the composites cost paradigm, Part 1: Feedstock
Highly-aligned, short-fiber Tailorable Universal Feedstock for Forming achieves aerospace properties, metal-like formability in zero-waste, fiber-to-parts pilot plant.
Mikrosam to supply ATP machine for UD-CCM research
Initial University of Delaware studies conducted with the automated tape placement (ATP) machine will evaluate placement of thin ply materials to support current projects with NASA.
Accelerating thermoplastic composites in aerospace
ATC Manufacturing produces millions of thermoplastic composite parts per year, and is investing for future growth.
Boeing to move Space and Launch headquarters to Florida
The move will place the Space and Launch division closer to the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base.
SAMPE 2019: The highlights
CompositesWorld was at SAMPE 2019 and offers a summary of highlights from the show and conference.
DARPA presents TFF program for low-cost composites for defense
Results reviewed at SAMPE 2019 show new materials and side-by-side comparisons of thermoset, thermoplastic, HP-RTM and press-forming, including PtFS molding cell.
RAPM development with PtFS
Boeing-led program explores rapid part cycles using automated, 180-channel thermal control molding cell for infusion, thermoset prepreg and thermoplastic composites.
Ginger Gardiner
Senior Editor, CompositesWorld
Boeing CTO addresses advanced materials in aerospace, urban mobility
Boeing CTO Dr. Greg Hyslop, in SAMPE keynote, discusses the company’s aircraft programs and the role composites will play in the future of aerial infrastructure.
JEC World 2019: Center for Composites Materials, University of Delaware
The Center for Composite Materials (CCM) at the University of Delaware introduced at JEC a new fiber-based product called TuFF (Tailored Universal Feedstock for Forming).
Aerojet Rocketdyne completes engine for Boeing spaceplane
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR-22 engine is the main propulsion for Boeing’s Phantom Express, which is being developed for DARPA’s Experimental Spaceplane program.
General aviation: Reconceiving the personal plane
Enabled by FAA rule changes, small plane manufacturers today are moving beyond the private “pleasure” craft to cutting-edge technologies engineered to offer an affordable means to avoid urban gridlock.
Consolidating thermoplastic composite aerostructures in place, Part 1
After more than 30 years of development, in-situ consolidation is nearing its promise to eliminate fasteners and the autoclave, and enable an integrated, multifunctional airframe.
Earth Stewardship: The future of composites development
Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnerships holds great promise for advanced composites.
Manufacturing the complex geometry parts of RAPM
Boeing-led program explores simulation, tooling, preforming and molding approaches to lower composites part cost.
Ginger Gardiner
Senior Editor, CompositesWorld
Early bird deadline for Carbon Fiber 2016 fast approaching
Attendees who register on or before Oct. 10 get $100 off their conference fees – no code required.
Carbon Fiber 2016 agenda firms up
CompositesWorld's annual Carbon Fiber conference features presentations designed to highlight where, how and why carbon fiber composites are being applied throughout the global manufacturing world. The agenda for Carbon Fiber 2016 is nearly complete and registration is open.
3D printed composite parts provide solution for UAV
New technology uses long carbon fibers to boost strength and stiffness for small yet high-performance aircraft.
Digital twin, digital thread and composites
How the integration of machines, sensors and software is beginning to impact composites manufacturing.
Navy unveils unmanned composites-intensive vessel
This entirely new class of ocean-going vessel can traverse thousands of kilometers over the open seas for months at a time, without a single crew member aboard.
Composites in exoskeletons
Wearable robotics need strength, stiffness and lightweight and are forecast at a CAGR of 40-50%. Will composites play a role or be left behind?
Novel prepreg for compression molding in RAPM
Solvay and Boeing combine aerospace performance with process knowledge for high-rate, low-cost composites production.
Ginger Gardiner
Senior Editor, CompositesWorld
DARPA awards Phase 1 contracts for its Gremlins program
The contracts for Gremlins has been awarded to four teams led by Composite Engineering Inc., Dynetics Inc., General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Lockheed Martin.
Aurora Flight Sciences selected to develop x-plane demonstrator
The demonstrator, called LightningStrike, features distributed hybrid-electric propulsion ducted fans and aims to offer high-speed, high-efficiency tilt-wing capability.
Aircraft composites repair: Plasma’s potential for better bonds
Plasma treatment might be a key enabling technology in the pursuit of certification-worthy, fastener-free adhesively bonded repair patches applied to aircraft primary structure.
Advanced composites — An idealized future
A CW columnist, a composites industry consultant and the chief commercialization officer for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (Knoxville, TN, US), Dale Brosius imagines an ideal future for our industry then challenges us to make it real.
CW opens up on out of autoclave, in February
You may not know that CW has prepared a Supplement to the upcoming February 2016 issue that examines out of autoclave processing in detail. It asks the question: Can OOA options be matured sufficiently to yield parts with <1% void content, outside of the autoclave?
How have composite bridges measured up?
The latest US highway bill includes a provision to assess performance of composite bridges built years ago, bridges that CW wrote about.