Composites Use in Consumer Products
The complexity and costs of design and manufacture with composite materials lend them well to structural applications like aircraft wings, boat hulls, and car bodies. However, one of the largest markets by volume for composites is consumer goods, including electronics, sporting goods, bathtubs and swimming pools, bicycles, recreational vehicles (RV) and more.
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Carbon Mobile carbon fiber powers handheld gaming platform
HyRECM technology effectively stabilizes carbon fiber’s electrical and antenna properties, enabling development of next-gen electronics, such as the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2.
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Swancor, Massload jointly develop 100% recycled bicycle bottle cage
A blend of recycled carbon fiber and PA6 pellets, the bicycle component will be commercialized in Q1 2024.
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Repurposing wind blades as functional community art pieces
Ohio-based Canvus Inc. upcycles fiberglass wind blades, car tires and post-consumer plastics to create outdoor furniture that amplifies sustainability messages in community spaces.
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Ekbacken Studios furniture incorporates Sulapac wood composites
High-end design furniture is 3D printed from bio-based, eco-friendly materials for aesthetic and sustainable home product options.
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Rein4ced, Dieffenbacher automate large-scale production of CFRP bike frames
A synergistic alliance combining Dieffenbacher’s production automation with Rein4ced’s hybrid Feather composite led to fully automated bike frame production line, which will be expanded to other composite products.
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Acciona Energía, El Ganso develop shoes made with recycled wind blade materials
Limited-edition sneakers feature soles composed of micronized dismantled wind blades from a wind farm in Navarra, Spain.
Read MoreKnowledge Centers
CW’s editors are tracking the latest trends and developments in tooling, from the basics to new developments. This collection, presented by Composites One, features four recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
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Review the state of the art in design, simulation, failure analysis, digital twins, virtual testing and virtual inspection.
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During CW Tech Days: Thermoplastics for Large Structures, experts explored the materials and processing technologies that are enabling the transition to large-part manufacturing.
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Latest Consumer News And Updates
Toray rCF from Boeing 787 is incorporated into ultra-light laptops
Torayca-based aerospace components have successfully been repurposed into the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, highlighting the ongoing application of recycled composites.
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Lotus launches limited edition electrified E-bike
The track-inspired Type 136 model is additionally lightweighted with carbon fiber frame and components, and a 300-gram E-bike motor, delivering true dual-use functionality.
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CompPair healable composites, recycled carbon fibers featured in ID Genève luxury watch
HealTech prepregs enable 400x faster regenerative properties for the new Circular C product, along with incorporation of industrial waste fibers for a sustainable touch.
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BMComposites, Linx Tenders use composites to lighten foiling cats
Glass and carbon fiber meet performance needs for custom-built tenders.
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Mito Materials graphene amplify composite fly fishing rod performance
Functionalized graphene addition to premium-performance Evos and Evos Salt fly rods by St. Croix Fly enables faster recovery, increased torsional rigidity and improved strength-to-weight ratios.
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HO Sports unveils Sabre water ski with bio-based foam core
New water ski developed in partnership with Checkerspot brings high-performance biomaterials to watersports, replacing petroleum-based materials with algae-derived core.
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Plant tour: Arris Composites, Berkeley, Calif., U.S.
The creator of Additive Molding is leveraging automation and thermoplastics to provide high-volume, high-quality, sustainable composites manufacturing services.
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Running shoe insoles get a lift with thermoplastic fiberglass tapes
FlexSpring insoles take advantage of unidirectional, continuous fiberglass and thermoplastics to enable next-level performance for the everyday runner.
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Lighter, stronger, faster bionic hand aided by composites design
Psyonic’s touch-sensing prosthetic hand leverages bionic technology, 3D printing and a carbon fiber composite exterior for light weight, high strength and high-tech functionality.
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Digital Demo: UV-Cured Powder Coating on Carbon Fiber
Keyland Polymer's R&D chemist will demonstrate the UV powder coating application process followed by UV curing on a carbon fiber water bottle holder. (Sponsored)
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Materials & Processes: Fibers for composites
The structural properties of composite materials are derived primarily from the fiber reinforcement. Fiber types, their manufacture, their uses and the end-market applications in which they find most use are described.
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Materials & Processes: Resin matrices for composites
The matrix binds the fiber reinforcement, gives the composite component its shape and determines its surface quality. A composite matrix may be a polymer, ceramic, metal or carbon. Here’s a guide to selection.
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FAQ: Consumer
How are composites used in sporting goods?
Carbon fiber composite bicycle frames are the highest-profile application of composites in sporting goods – but they have also long been used in high-performance fishing rods, tennis rackets, skis, surfboards and more. Protective equipment such as helmets, or high-performance athletic shoes, can also be made with composite materials.
How are composites used in consumer electronics?
Composites are often used under the cover of consumer electronics, such as for components in circuit boards. Composites have also been trialed for lightweight, high-performance laptop and phone covers and other applications.
How are carbon fiber composite bikes manufactured?
Today, many carbon fiber composite bike frames are fabricated and shipped from fabricators in Asian countries, largely incorporating labor-intensive hand layup processes with carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy prepreg. Efforts are being made to develop more bicycle manufacturing in the U.S. and Europe, including more automated processes and thermoplastic materials, or even 3D printing.
