Q&A Interviews
Q&A: Constant Learning Crucial to Success
Apex Racing Skates manufactures high-performance speed skating boots out of carbon fiber. The company’s founder, Mathieu Turcotte, is a skater himself and wanted to make a product that was light and stiff and had all the qualities an athlete desires. His small business of five employees manufactures and sells these skates. »
Q&A – Owens Corning: We’re Going Underground for New Apps
Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a world leader within the fiberglass industry. The global company had an annual sales volume of $4.8 billion in 2009, with almost half dedicated to the composites industry. Among its largest segments are wind power, water distribution, industrial applications and transportation. Chuck Dana, president of Owens Corning’s Composite... »
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... »
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... »
Q&A: Is Your State Ahead of the Composites Curve?
Louis N. Triandafilou acts as a liaison between the FHWA and the composites industry. In addition to working with AASHTO’s subcommittee on bridges, he also attends and hosts a variety of conferences to keep FRPs in the forefront of bridge applications. »
Q&A: Using the Same Process to Enter New Markets
Fiberforge began 12 years ago and commercializes a manufacturing process that turns thermoplastic prepreg tape into finished parts. It relies heavily on automation and thermoforming, and has found success in the high performance market, even though its original focus was in automotive. »
Q&A: Are Composites Really the Best for Bridgework? AASHTO Weighs In.
Paul Liles is the state bridge engineer for Georgia DOT and chairman of AASHTO’s T6 committee, a technical committee focused on FRP. The group is responsible for design specifications on structures including bridges and walls. Liles says that while the composites industry hoped to take off in all facets of bridgework, only some areas... »
Q&A: Composites Exec Automates Process, Improves Air Quality
Vixen Composites is a newly established affiliate of RV product manufacturer Dicor Corporation. It specializes in composite structural and exterior panels for the recreational vehicle and commercial trailer industries, with plans to invest more than $6 million in machinery and equipment to lease 98,000 square feet of space. How do you fit into the composites... »
Q&A: Aerospace VP Tells Composite Manufacturers to “Go Big”
Mark Messick is Vice President and General Manager, ATK Aerospace Structures, for Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), an aerospace and defense company. For over 50 years, ATK Aerospace Structures has been a key player in mission-critical composite structures for the aerospace and defense industries. With more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico... »
Q&A: Composites Replace Steel and Aluminum in Motorsports
Kevin Bialas has over 17 years experience working with composites. He has worked primarily as a process engineer in the motorsports sector with such firms as Downing Atlanta, Elan Motorsports, Riley Technologies, and USF1. He was recently hired by Composite Resources, a firm that offers design, prototype and manufacturing of composite solutions for clients... »
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