Work In Progress Column

Evolving natural fiber technology to meet industry sustainability needs

From flax fiber composite boats to RV exterior panels to a circularity model with partnerships in various end markets, Greenboats strives toward its biomaterials and sustainable composites vision in an ever-changing market.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Co-molding SMC with braided glass fiber demonstrates truck bed potential

Prepreg co-molding compound by IDI Composites International and A&P Technology enables new geometries and levels of strength and resiliency for automotive, mobility.

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Low-cost, efficient CFRP anisogrid lattice structures

CIRA uses patented parallel winding, dry fiber, silicone tooling and resin infusion to cut labor for lightweight, heavily loaded space applications.

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Ultra-thin woven fabric enables 90% resource reduction in satellite solar array manufacturing

Kerberos Engineering uses TeXtreme 0/90 woven fabrics for satellite solar array manufacturing, cutting weight and onboard resources, enhancing structural integrity and streamlining production.

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Active core molding: A new way to make composite parts

Koridion expandable material is combined with induction-heated molds to make high-quality, complex-shaped parts in minutes with 40% less material and 90% less energy, unlocking new possibilities in design and production.

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Laser-excited acoustics provide contact-free, nondestructive composites inspection

Xarion’s couplant-free NDT technology uses laser physics and a membrane-free optical microphone, eliminating the requirement for fluid coupling, widening the scope for NDT technology.

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Reinforcing hollow, 3D printed parts with continuous fiber composites

Spanish startup Reinforce3D’s continuous fiber injection process (CFIP) involves injection of fibers and liquid resin into hollow parts made from any material. Potential applications include sporting goods, aerospace and automotive components, and more.

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NewStar Adhesives - Nautical Adhesives
Alpha’s Premier ESR®
Eliminate Quality Escapes  With LASERVISION AI
recycle carbon fiber

Bladder-assisted compression molding derivative produces complex, autoclave-quality automotive parts

HP Composites’ AirPower technology enables high-rate CFRP roof production with 50% energy savings for the Maserati MC20.

Stewart Mitchell
Contributing Writer

Filament winding increases access to high-performance composite prostheses

Steptics industrializes production of CFRP prostheses, enabling hundreds of parts/day and 50% lower cost.

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Automated robotic NDT enhances capabilities for composites

Kineco Kaman Composites India uses a bespoke Fill Accubot ultrasonic testing system to boost inspection efficiency and productivity.

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Measuring energy use to enable sustainable composites production

Airbus subsidiary CTC uses new technology to measure energy use in machine components and processes to optimize equipment, production lines and guide decisions for future composites.

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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.

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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.

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Innovation in ultrasonic inspection and nondestructive testing

With increasingly complex structural components working their way into aerospace programs, the need for versatility in inspection and testing capabilities is growing. 

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Airtech
recycle carbon fiber
ColorForm multi-component injection
Airtech International Inc.

Composite SIPs for more affordable, efficient and sustainable buildings

LiteSIP panels and modules enable framing in days, cutting structural labor and total cost by up to 70% and 30%, respectively, while increasing energy efficiency and durability.

Ginger Gardiner
Senior Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Manufacturing tech for scalable Type V hydrogen tank fabrication, CFRP lifecycle management

Cygnet Texkimp’s Multi Roll Stack and composite recycling technology catalyze ASCEND program’s mission to optimize aerospace, automotive hydrogen storage and CFRP sustainability.

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The potential for thermoplastic composite nacelles

Collins Aerospace draws on global team, decades of experience to demonstrate large, curved AFP and welded structures for the next generation of aircraft.

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Thermoplastic composite, tube-shaped preforms for large-volume manufacturing

Starting with the sporting goods and bicycle market, French startup 3DiTex targets its continuous preforming system for thermoformable, thermoplastic composite tubes in complex geometries.

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Infinite Composites: Type V tanks for space, hydrogen, automotive and more

After a decade of proving its linerless, weight-saving composite tanks with NASA and more than 30 aerospace companies, this CryoSphere pioneer is scaling for growth in commercial space and sustainable transportation on Earth.

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Type V pressure vessel enables lunar lander

Exploratory IM-1 lunar landing mission to feature a unique, all-composite unibody Type V pressure vessel designed for cryogenic propulsion. 

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Composite molding compound replaces Invar for lightweight small satellite structures

Patz Materials and Technologies and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed a new monolithic optics housing with 80% less weight, near-zero CTE and the high-volume manufacturing required for commercial space.

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HEATCON Composite Systems
Alpha’s Premier ESR®
Airtech
ColorForm multi-component injection

Streamlining aerospace composites operations with RFID tracking

Tier 1 Sekisui Aerospace’s implementation of RFID tracking, sensors and Xemelgo software at two of its production facilities led to increased productivity, eliminating bottlenecks and reducing labor costs.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Engine vane demonstrates potential for gapped, unidirectional dry fiber for infusion

GKN Aerospace and its partners developed an aircraft demonstrator component made with TeXtreme’s latest Gapped UD material, proving out a dry, infusible tape meant to compare in performance to UD prepreg.

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Modular, robotic cells enable high-rate RTM using any material format

Airborne’s automated ply placement systems at Airbus, GKN Aerospace and Teijin Automotive Technologies aim to maximize flexibility and intelligent automation.

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Drag-based wind turbine design for higher energy capture

Claiming significantly higher power generation capacity than traditional blades, Xenecore aims to scale up its current monocoque, fan-shaped wind blades, made via compression molded carbon fiber/epoxy with I-beam ribs and microsphere structural foam.

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Large-diameter composite pipe repairs Detroit sewage system

QuakeWrap's 16-foot-diameter FRP pipes will transfer more than half of Detroit's sewage from a pump station.

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Ultra-lightweight skis demonstrate potential of graphene-reinforced composites

With a graphene additive, Folsom Custom Skis evolved and optimized the material makeup of its carbon fiber composite touring skis for higher performance at a lighter weight.      

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Robotized system makes overmolding mobile, flexible

Anybrid’s ROBIN demonstrates inline/offline functionalization of profiles, 3D-printed panels and bio-based materials for more efficient, sustainable composite parts.

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recycle carbon fiber
ColorForm multi-component injection
HEATCON Composite Systems
Airtech International Inc.