In this episode of CW Trending, sponsored by RVmagnetics, CW senior editor Ginger Gardiner and editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan discuss the use of sensors in composites manufacturing to optimize processes, reduce cycle time and waste, and improve part quality and sustainability. Ginger presents slides reviewing a variety of different sensor technologies and case histories in composites. She also explains how these technologies are not only enabling the digital twin and intelligent manufacturing, but also opening new possibilities for composites, such as thermoplastic-overmolded thermosets and sensing structures that can incorporate, for example, haptics allowing the captain of an 81-meter yacht to steer more efficiently by feeling and reacting to actual ocean loads on the composite rudder.

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Magnetic microwires enable contactless measurement of temperature and pressure during cure and in service.

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