Loading ...Quickstep Holdings’ shares soared after an announcing it was in negotiations with Lockheed Martin and other companies to supply composite parts for the joint strike fighter (JSF) aircraft. The contract would last between 20 to 30 years, generating over $700 million for the Australia-based company. In Las Vegas, the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show featured several composite-enhanced models, including Toyota’s Lexus LFA, which made its North American debut and features a chassis made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer. Meanwhile, Chevrolet unveiled its Silverado ZR2 concept vehicle, a pickup truck featuring carbon fiber fenders, rocker panels, tailgate, and hood.
Green Wavelength, an upstart firm developing renewable energy prototypes, unveiled the xBEE Alpha, its first product. The new turbine touts 19-ft blades that flap like insect wings. French company AlpControl has a new product of its own, which it calls the world’s lightest carbon fiber skis. The Black Powder model, a wooden core covered with carbon at both ends, weighs approximately 4.5 pounds and uses Toray T700S material.
Yet, some companies suffered setbacks this week. A bridge constructed in the University of Maine’s Cloke Plaza using the school’s Bridge-in-a-Backpack technology collapsed during production. The accident was blamed on improper installation procedures, as the supporting arches were filled with concrete from the bottom instead of the recommended method of top loading. Meanwhile, Danish turbine company Vestas announced it will slow U.S. hiring and building, including in its new facility in Colorado, due to the sluggish economy. Vestas planned to employ a total of 2,500 people in Colorado by the end of next year, but says that will likely be pushed back to 2011.
Other companies continued to grow, including Reichhold, which opened a new manufacturing facility in India. The new plant will manufacture unsaturated polyester resins for a variety of sectors. Axion International Holdings also made a move, relocating from Basking Ridge, N.J. to a larger facility in New Providence, N.J. to accommodate growth for the coming year. And Kenway Corp. received a $300,000 state grant, unanimously approved by a City Council in Maine to aid further development and training of the company’s new technology, such as the temperature-controlled mold (TMC).
Finally, two cooperative efforts were announced this week. Nanocomp Technologies, a developer of advanced performance materials and component products from carbon nanotubes (CNTs), announced an extension to its existing development contract with the U.S. Army. Nanocomp will use the funding to further develop its CNT products, such as composite panels for armor, vehicle and aircrafts. Over in Wisconsin, Energy Composites Corporation (ECC) reached an agreement with the City of Wisconsin Rapids to develop two parcels totaling 93 acres into what they say will be the world`s most advanced wind blade facility. The agreement provides for at least $7.5 million in development incentives from the City, and allows ECC to produce more than 1,200 MW of power annually—a 60 percent increase in output.
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