Aerospace/Aviation
Composites in the News
Automotive topped the news this week, as Congress is expected to exempt auto loans from its overhaul of the financial structure of a new consumer agency. In an effort to win more buyers, Ford is stepping up its efforts to incorporate bio-based materials such as soy foam and natural fiber-reinforced plastics through nearly its... »
Composites in the News Last Week
China has established its first national laboratory to focus on the application of polymers and composites in aerospace. German composites manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will design and manufacture more than 100 basic trainers for the Indian Air Force. In the U.S., Parkway Products plans to expand its Boone County, Kentucky aerospace and defense production... »
Q&A: Boeing R&D Motivated by Flexibility (Part II)
Last Week, Composites Manufacturing spoke with Alan G. Miller, the director of technology requirements & incorporation for Boeing Commercial Airlines – Product Development, about the increased use of composites (you can read the interview online). Today, he’s answered a series of follow-up questions about the Boeing’s R&D processes, and composite manufacturers’ potential to grow... »
Composites in the News Last Week
As the World Cup kicked off this weekend, it’s notable that Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa features fiber-reinforced concrete panels, which manufacturer Rieder Smart Elements says are 10 times lighter than conventional materials. In other infrastructure news, Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif. said it is incorporating composite landscape... »
Q&A: Boeing Believes In, But Not Sold on, Composites (Part I)
Alan G. Miller is the director of technology requirements & incorporation for Boeing Commercial Airlines – Product Development. Miller oversees the development of multi-platform airplane and services requirements, which focuses on the technology investments for Boeing across all technical disciplines. Prior to joining the Product Development team, he was the director of technology integration... »
Fresh Faces to a Growing Composites Market
Just five years ago, Concord, New Hampshire-based Nanocomp Technologies was a budding company branching out from technology development company Synergy Innovations. The company, started by Peter Antoinette and Dave Lashmore, began making carbon nanotube yarn and sheet material for various segments within the composites industry. »
Composites in the News Last Week
Infrastructure companies take note: The Construction Safety Council plans to roll out a new national Health Hazards Awareness Program for the construction industry by late summer. International pipe producer HOBAS has opened a new research center for glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GRP) pipe systems in Wietersdorf, Austria. Yet, the National Composite Center was denied $3... »
Composites in the News Last Week
New announcements from the automotive sector this week: Mercedes-Benz wants to use carbon fiber and charge gasoline injection technology on all its vehicles by 2015. But Mercedes will have competition, since automotive companies and designers are not only implementing more carbon fiber, but incorporating it in unique designs such as a new type of... »
Composites in the News Last Week
While high-end automakers such as Aston Martin and Porsche are expanding carbon fiber usage, Ferrari said it won’t use the material for its entire line-up, but rather special cars with a low rate of production. Still, other automotive-related areas are growing. India’s car sales are up close to 40 percent from a year... »
Replacement Worker, Not Included
In North Carolina alone, furniture, textile, automotive, marine and other manufacturing sectors were shrinking in the fluctuating economy. “It became apparent that North Carolina residents needed training for the jobs of the future,” says Ron Bolick, director of the Greensboro-based Advanced Composite Research and Training Center. “Several of us had been working in aerospace,... »
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