On the road with CompositesWorld
CW Senior Editor Scott Francis offers a recap of recent composites industries events including CAMX 2019 and SPE ACCE 2019. 

AFRL, Boeing, Thermwood partner to develop low-cost, autoclave-capable tooling
The project is using Thermwood’s vertical, large-scale 3D printer to build a carbon fiber-reinforced demonstrator tool for an aircraft fuselage skin.

Thermwood’s vertical layer printing turns AM on its side
Vertical Layer Printing (VLP) 3D prints layers perpendicular to the floor, extending Z height to the length of the print bed — as long as 40 feet.

Ascent Aerospace invests in Thermwood LSAM machine
Ascent Aerospace to use large scale additive manufacturing to bring tooling solutions to market with significantly reduced lead times.

Combining plastics and composites for Class A parts without tools
Plastics Unlimited’s patented TEC process cuts secondary finishing and meets multiple demands for medium-volume parts.

Big additive machines tackle large molds
In commercial aerocomposites fabrication, molds reign supreme, but they are expensive. Large-format additive manufacturing systems are poised to make production-ready molds quickly and affordably.

IACMI to host training workshop with Composites One, Closed Mold Alliance
The workshop will be held at the Composite Prototyping Center on June 11-12, 2019.

Tooling technologies positioned for speed, control
Tooling is one of the most rapidly evolving segments of the composites industry, as new technologies and processes like 3D printing, OOA infusion, thermoplastic composites reshape how molds are made.

Industrialized continuous fiber composite printing in Delft
CEAD offers large builds with speed, precision, low-cost extrusion and continuous fiber.

Thermwood and Bell collaborate on 3D-printed helicopter blade mold
Thermwood employed its new 60-mm melt core technology to additively manufacture the autoclave-capable, carbon fiber-reinforced tool.

TAHOE Boats' T16 uses 3D printed tooling from Thermwood
Thermwood’s Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) system was utilized to custom-print the tool used to manufacture the boat’s hull.

Thermwood announces larger melt core for its LSAM systems
The higher output capability of the 60-mm melt core enables 3D printing of layers with 250 ft or more bead length with most polymers.

Boeing and Thermwood
The Boeing Co. (Chicago, IL, US) and Thermwood Corp. (Dale, IN, US) have employed additive manufacturing technology to produce a large, single-piece tool for the 777X program.

Thermwood and US Navy explore additive manufacturing for ships and ship systems
The validation program centered on printing an unclassified scale nose of a submarine using Thermwood’s Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) system.

Boeing partners with Thermwood on 3D printed tool for 777X
The tool was printed as a single piece from 20% carbon fiber reinforced ABS using the Vertical Layer Print system.

CAMX 2018 preview: Thermwood
Thermwood (Dale, IN, US) is featuring a mold fabricated using its new Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) system, which can perform additive and subtractive manufacturing functions on the same machine.

Sustainable, inline recycling of carbon fiber
Shocker Composites and R&M International are developing a supply chain for recycled CF with zero knockdown vs. virgin fiber, lower cost and, eventually, lengths delivering structural properties close to continuous fiber.

CAMX 2017: Highlights from the floor
3D printing and nanotechnology developments promise to cut time and cost in composite structures production while recycling and sustainability continue to grow in importance.