Loading ...Education was at the top this week as engineers at the University of California—Irvine are working on using robotic technology in carbon fiber water infrastructure repair. Students at a New Zealand school have learned a lot about composites by using them heavily in manufacturing a high-tech racing yacht. And Northrop Grumman announced it will give its Turkish F-35 supplier hands-on training in preparation as a supplier for the jet’s center fuselage. Canada’s government teams with the aerospace industry in an attempt to prevent shortage of skilled workers and make Nova Scotia an industry hotbed.
In other areas of the industry, collaboration abound. Universal Storage Containers LLC has moved forward in its collaboration with Innovative Composites International by approving the USC Z-Box2 composite container prototype utilizing ICI’s fiber reinforced thermoplastic panels. The Canadian Association of Mold Makers and the Canadian Federation of Plastics and Alliances Composites have partnered to create new network opportunities.
Meanwhile many companies made changes this week in hopes of a better 2010. Boeing made its Melbourne, Australia-based plant a specialist fabricator of lightweight composite materials for commercial and military aircraft, complete with a 20-year contract to build 787 Dreamliner parts. Park Electrochemical announced new vice president of aerospace structures engineering, ATK announced beginning April 1 it will realign into four operating groups to improve market growth. Clipper’s CEO resigned after only 18 months in anticipation of second quarter losses. German-IMO Group is locating its first U.S. facility near South Carolina’s Clemson University. The company says it will bring 190 jobs and $47 million in investment to the community. Despite delays, Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens says he still plans on installing hundreds of wind turbines, the location is just a mystery. Spain and Britain are fighting to be the location of numerous high-skilled production jobs for the new Airbus A400M. The Rhode Island Marine Trades Association told conference attendees they should leverage the skills they have and take advantage of the growing green economy. And although BMW still hasn’t officially selected a site to manufacture its Megacity vehicle, the state of Washington, rumored to be atop the running, has approved $2 million for a new substation for the proposed plant.
Siemens announced it will build a new 60-Hz turbine production plant at its existing facility in North Carolina. Martin Aircraft has developed the first commercially-available jetpack. The 250-pound device is constructed from carbon fiber composites. After manufacturing Hansa (two-seater) and Saras (14-seater), Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories is set to build a 90-seater, regional transport aircraft. General Automotive Company and SenCer Inc. announced they will collaborate to develop, commercialize and market ceramic composite materials for accelerating the development of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly fuel cell technologies. Westfield Sportscars is incorporating composites, recyclable plastics, and lycra in the production of its new iRACER electric racing vehicle, and the U.S. Army thinks there could be all-composite military vehicles within the next 10 years.
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