The Australian designed and built FR-1 has become a reality after nine years and over A$1 million invested to produce this hand-built , one-off, high performance concept sports car.
15 May 2012
At the JEC Europe 2012 trade show in Paris in March, Momentive Specialty Chemicals introduced a new epoxy system for the mass production of carbon fibre automotive components and a line of epoxy resins for longer and lighter wind turbine rotor blades. The company also announced the opening of a development centre for transportation composites.
28 April 2012
The wind energy industry is one of the fastest-growing consumers of fibre reinforced plastics in the world. Production challenges are compounded as the scale of wind turbines continues to climb. Blades, among the most complex parts to mould, now exceed 80 m in length and are getting longer. We report on new products and processes developed to meet the needs of utility-scale blade producers.
24 January 2012
Reinforced Plastics asked Onur Tokgoz, Wind Energy Global Business Leader at 3B-the fibreglass company, about the company’s activities in the wind energy market and its new glass reinforcement for wind turbine blade manufacture, Advantex® SE2020.
23 January 2012
World growth will slow in 2012, but the question is by how much – IHS Global Insight chief economist Nariman Behravesh releases his Top 10 Economic Predictions for 2012.
23 December 2011
The recreational boat building industry is a major consumer of composite materials. But the global economic downturn left material suppliers and boat builders struggling to survive. Boat manufacturers have gone through a period of consolidation and downsizing, looking for ways to cut costs and boost productivity. Meanwhile, the industry has never stopped developing new materials, processing techniques and innovations that contribute to better boat construction and better on-water performance.
29 November 2011
Specialist kiteboard and surfboard manufacturer North Kiteboarding uses TeXtreme spread tow carbon fabric from Oxeon AB in its new Select and Team Series composite boards to produce the lightest products on the market, with the best riding experience.
15 November 2011
A £25 million centre for innovation in composites design and manufacture officially opens in the UK in late November. CEO Peter Chivers gave Amanda Jacob a tour.
08 November 2011
Is automotive design paradigm shifting into high gear on a direct drive to carbon fibre body-in-black? Vicki P. McConnell looks at new FRP products for vehicle applications and asks composites suppliers if this ride is for real.
11 October 2011
Eric Debondue, Business Development Leader, 3B-the fibreglass company, discusses the development of glass fibre composite compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders for natural gas powered passenger cars and light commercial vans.
04 October 2011
FORMAX doesn’t do ‘off the shelf’ – it works with customers to develop bespoke reinforcements optimised for their composite processes and applications. Reinforced Plastics visited the multiaxial fabric specialist’s facility in Leicester, UK.
20 September 2011
Bernd Hoevel, Senior R&D Manager, and Alain Sagnard, Senior R&D Engineer, at the Dow Chemical Company, describe how the company's foam core material and epoxy resin systems can help manufacture lighter, stronger wind turbine blades.
29 August 2011
Various materials have been used as core materials in sandwich composites to produce strong, lightweight and cost-effective structures in a broad range of uses. Most recently, the wind energy industry has become a major consumer of core materials, especially foam core, which has been making inroads against balsa in wind turbine blade production.
22 August 2011
Fred Stoll, Chief Engineer, WebCore Technologies LLC, explains how TYCOR® W core material is helping wind turbine blade designers reduce the cost and weight of bigger blades while giving operations managers improved quality.
01 August 2011
Enrico Ferri, CEO of Composite Technical Services (CTS), explains why cashew nutshell oil-derived bio-resins can help increase the green attributes of composites while also enhancing their performance.
22 May 2011
The use of thermoplastics as a matrix material in fibre reinforced composites has been growing steadily, especially in automotive and aerospace applications, largely due to the materials’ recyclability and ability to be processed rapidly. They also offer improved fracture toughness over thermosets as well as the ability to be easily joined using welding techniques. We report on recent developments and new applications of thermoplastic composites.
02 May 2011
UK multiaxial reinforcements producer FORMAX is investing in new equipment to meet growing demand for its products. Reinforced Plastics spoke to the company's managing director Oliver Wessely during the 2011 JEC Composites Show.
28 April 2011
The use of CFRP has spread to a multitude of new products requiring strength, reduced weight and high performance. CFRP is finding more applications in wind energy, pressure vessels, sports and recreation equipment and in higher-volume automotive parts. Carbon fibre supply currently exceeds demand, bringing down the profitability of carbon fibre manufacturers, which remain optimistic for an upswing in demand. The drive toward out-of-autoclave curing technology and shorter cycle times continues.
18 March 2011
George Marsh reports on why some boat builders are choosing to use prepregs in their production.
09 March 2011
Damage to wind turbine blades can significantly lower the turbine’s performance. On site repair of wind turbine blades has traditionally been time consuming and of variable quality. David Cripps, Global Account Manager, Gurit Wind Energy, describes a new blade repair system which is clean, fast and can be used in a wider temperature range.
01 February 2011