Latest News

Structural design of Panamax yacht nears completion SP is nearing completion of the structural design of Panamax, a 60 m carbon composite sailing yacht.
04 July 2009 Airbus signs research agreement with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has signed a cooperation agreement with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on research into composite materials.
03 July 2009 Ice hockey stick uses nanotechnology resin system Swiss-based Composites Busch SA has developed a one-piece ice hockey stick that uses Huntsman Advanced Materials’ Araldite® NanoTech Composite RTM epoxy resin system.
02 July 2009 REpower and Valorem agree to supply 21 wind turbines to France The REpower MM92 wind power plants, each with a rated power of 2.05 megawatts (MW) and a hub height of 80 metres, are intended for five wind farms projects in the Vendée and Loire Atlantique regions in the West of France.
01 July 2009 Composite pipe lining installed in US sewer project A ‘cured in place’ composite pipe lining system has been used for a major sewer repair project in Reno, Nevada, USA.
30 June 2009 June's top five stories These five stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website during the month of June.
30 June 2009 Amber Composites launches line of vacuum bagging consumables Amber Composites is launching a range of consumable products for use in vacuum bagging in the oven curing, autoclave and infusion composite processes.
30 June 2009 SP specifies composite materials for Rogers yacht For its latest project Rogers Yacht Design is working with composite materials supplier SP to produce a new line of carbon composite cruiser racers.
28 June 2009 Atkins Nedtech to design composite wing components for A350 XWB Airbus Germany has awarded Atkins Nedtech a contract to design composite components for the inboard flap of the new Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.
26 June 2009 Electric aircraft under test Yuneec International is carrying out test flights on its E430, two-seat, composite aircraft, which is said to be the first commercially available electric powered aircraft.
25 June 2009 Offshore wind has potential to "meet more than a quarter" of the UK's electricity needs An extra 25GW of offshore wind energy could be accommodated around the UK’s shores, in addition to the 8GW already built or planned, UK Energy Minister Lord Hunt says.
25 June 2009 Owens Corning licenses Twintex® composites technology to Fiber Glass Industries Owens Corning has licensed its Twintex® glass thermoplastic composites technology to Fiber Glass Industries Inc (FGI).
24 June 2009 Composite fuel tank for gas powered chopper Lincoln Composites has manufactured a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel tank for what is claimed to be the world's first chopper (motorcycle) to be powered by natural gas.
23 June 2009 Boeing postpones 787 first flight Boeing has announced a further delay to the first flight of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
23 June 2009 Wales invests in Airbus composite aircraft wing facility The Welsh Assembly Government has committed £28.66 million to support Airbus' development of a facility for the assembly of composite aircraft wings at its site in Broughton, North Wales.
22 June 2009 Braided fabrics for aircraft interiors use carbon reinforced PPS tapes Braided textile specialist A&P Technology Inc is now using carbon fibre reinforced Fortron polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) tape for aircraft interior applications.
22 June 2009 Scott Bader launches new composites website Scott Bader is introducing its new website which covers the range of products and services offered by its Composites, Adhesives, and Specialty Polymers business units globally.
22 June 2009 Quickstep awarded grant to develop RST technology Australian-based Quickstep has been awarded A$2.6 million under the Australian Federal Government’s AusIndustry Climate Ready Programme, an initiative focusing on the production of lightweight, low-emission vehicles and aircraft.
20 June 2009 Strongwell’s composite products earn LARR approval Strongwell’s glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) structural materials have achieved Los Angeles Research Report (LARR) approval for radio frequency (RF) transparent screening and enclosure systems.
19 June 2009 Ultrasonic test instrument for carbon composite aircraft structures GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies has announced the availability of a hand-held, ultrasonic test instrument for use while an aircraft is at the arrival/departure gate.
19 June 2009 Composite footbridge installed in six hours UK railway contractor Birse Rail has recently installed a new composite railway footbridge in just six hours at Bradkirk, Blackpool, UK, thereby minimising disruption to rail services.
18 June 2009 EuCIA appoints new General Manager The European composites industry association EuCIA has appointed Alisa De Backer as its new General Manager.
18 June 2009 IDI Composites acquires Menzolit plants US firm IDI Composites International has acquired the former Menzolit Compounds International sheet and bulk moulding compound plants in France and China.
18 June 2009 Final assembly begins on first Boeing 787 Final assembly has begun on the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft destined for delivery to ANA of Japan. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2010.
18 June 2009 Boeing, Ten Cate, Stork Fokker and Twente University establish research centre on thermoplastic composites Boeing, TenCate Advanced Composites BV, Stork Fokker and the University of Twente have signed an agreement to establish the Thermoplastic Composites Research Centre (TPRC) in the Netherlands.
17 June 2009 Cytec Engineered Materials forms industrial team Cytec Engineered Materials (CEM) has formed a new group to address the growing need for advanced materials such as composites in the industrial sector.
17 June 2009 Hexion raises prices for composite resins Hexion Specialty Chemicals will increase prices of its unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins in North America next month.
17 June 2009 China expects 20% of renewable energy by 2020 China could generate 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, according to Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice Chairman of China’s national development and reform commission.
17 June 2009 Energetx Composites to manufacture wind turbine components US firm Energetx Composites plans to start manufacturing wind turbine components following approval of a grant from the State of Michigan.
17 June 2009 AGY acquires controlling interest in Chinese yarn manufacturer AGY, a US producer of glass fibre yarns and reinforcements, has acquired a 70% controlling interest in the Shanghai, China, based yarn manufacturing business of Grace THW Group.
16 June 2009 Europe’s wind potential almost 20 times energy demand in 2020 – report The European Environmental Agency (EEA) says European onshore and offshore wind energy potential is equivalent to almost 20 times energy demand in 2020.
15 June 2009 Mubadala starts construction of Abu Dhabi composite aerostructures plant Investment company Mubadala Development Company has announced the construction of its composites plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE, will start this month and that the plant will be operational in 2010.
15 June 2009 Hexion to enhance North American composite resins manufacturing Hexion Specialty Chemicals is realigning its North American composite resins and coatings manufacturing operations in order to enhance customer service, improve efficiency and manage costs.
15 June 2009 Quickstep awarded AS 9100 aerospace certification Quickstep Technologies Pty Ltd has been accredited to the AS 9100 international aerospace quality standard.
15 June 2009 Exel Composites considers job cuts in Finland Pultruder Exel Composites is starting negotiations with staff on possible job losses at its plants in Finland.
15 June 2009 FRP corrosion protection process for pipes and tanks A new FRP lining process for pipes and storage tanks is said to offer significant advantages over existing corrosion protection methods.
14 June 2009 Premix extends capacity with new moulding press US moulder of composites products Premix is extending its manufacturing capacity with the addition of a 2000 ton compression moulding press.
13 June 2009 Programme announced for Advanced Composites in Construction 2009 conference The programme for the Advanced Composites in Construction (ACIC) 2009 conference has been released by organiser The Network Group for Composites in Construction (NGCC).
12 June 2009 Interplastic announces price increase for resins Interplastic Corporation is raising the price of its CoREZYN® and Silmar® brand products, including vinyl ester, polyester and speciality resins, gel-coats, and colorants.
11 June 2009 Floating offshore wind turbine installed by Siemens and StatoilHydro What could be the world’s first large-scale floating offshore wind turbine has been installed by Siemens and StatoilHydro off the coast of Norway.
11 June 2009 Biocomposites congress joins COMPOSITES EUROPE This year, the nova-Institut will hold its Biocomposites Congress as part of the annual AVK International Convention which is held alongside the COMPOSITES EUROPE exhibition.
10 June 2009 Pentland Firth wave and tidal energy leasing round gets 42 applications The UK Crown Estate has received a total of 42 applications from 20 bidders for wave and tidal energy leases for the Pentland Firth Strategic Area – the world’s first large scale commercial wave and tidal energy leasing round.
10 June 2009 CCP announces price increase for composite products Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP) is increasing prices of its unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel-coats and Thermaclean® industrial cleaner products.
10 June 2009 Dutch composites industry develops training programme A training programme for the composites industry has been developed by the Dutch association for composites VKCN, and VAPRO, a consultancy specialising in vocational training.
09 June 2009 Lantor introduces flexible, flame retardant core material A flame retardant, flexible core material has been developed by Lantor BV. It is designed to support the development of lightweight composite solutions, especially in the mass transit market.
09 June 2009 AMSC’s licenses wind turbine design to India American Superconductor Corporation’s (AMSC) wholly-owned AMSC Windtec subsidiary, has licensed its 2 MW doubly-fed induction wind turbine design to Inox Wind Limited, part of India’s Inox Group of Companies.
09 June 2009 Polytec closes Swedish automotive composites plant The Polytec Group is closing the Swedish plant of its Automotive Composites Division.
08 June 2009 US wind will see a surge in 2010 The US wind energy market could bounce back in 2010 after a slower 2009, predicts analyst Emerging Energy Research (EER).
08 June 2009 Jeff Martin named Pultruder of the Year Jeff Martin of Martin Pultrusion Group Inc has been named the Brandt Goldsworthy Pultruder of the Year 2009 by the delegates of the 2nd Global Pultrusion Conference.
08 June 2009 Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft makes first flight The US Air Force Research Laboratory and Lockheed Martin have announced the first flight of the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA).
08 June 2009 CST Composites introduces range of pultruded structural laminates CST Composites is introducing a range of pultruded carbon composite laminates designed for use in the the reinforcement of concrete, metal, wood and composite structural members.
08 June 2009 ElringKlinger produces reinforced thermoplastic oil pan Automotive parts producer ElringKlinger has developed a reinforced thermoplastic pick-up truck oil pan using DuPont's Zytel polyamide resin.
05 June 2009 Transmission greatest barrier to US wind energy – industry poll For the second year in a row, transmission / interconnection constraints were identified as the greatest barrier to wind energy development according to a poll conducted by wind measurement provider NRG Systems.
05 June 2009 ACMA releases 2008 composites industry report The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) has released its 2008 Composites Industry Report.
05 June 2009 Reichhold announces price increase for North America Reichhold Inc is increasing prices of all unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in North America for the composites industry.
04 June 2009 Meridian sells parts of its composites business Meridian Automotive Systems Inc has sold certain parts of its composites business to Decoma Composites LLC in response to the severe downturn in the North American automotive industry.
04 June 2009 Scott Bader increases prices of resins in Europe Scott Bader is increasing the prices of Crystic® unsaturated polyester, DCPD and vinyl ester resins across all its European sites.
04 June 2009 Surfboard uses nano-carbon/epoxy resin system Entropy Surfboards is producing a range of custom surfboards that use Amroy Europe’s Hybtonite® resin system in order to improve durability by a factor of between two and three while retaining the flex and feel of a traditional custom board. Hybtonite is an epoxy-based system that is reinforced with Bayer MaterialScience’s Baytubes® carbon nanotubes.
04 June 2009 First epoxy ‘cast to size' tooling blocks Composite tooling specialist Ebalta has announced the availability of what is believed to be the first ‘cast to size’ epoxy tooling blocks.
03 June 2009 Tods Defence wins contract for Spanish submarine sonar domes Tods Defence has been awarded a contract by the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to supply the carbon composite, bow sonar domes for Spanish Navy’s new S80 submarines.
03 June 2009 Composites Technology Research Malaysia expands manufacturing facility Composites Technology Research Malaysia Sdn Bhd (CTRM) is expanding its manufacturing facility in Melaka, Malaysia, in anticipation of business growth.
02 June 2009 AIAA names top ten emerging aerospace technologies of 2009 The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has released its list of the top 10 emerging aerospace technologies.'Greener' aviation technologies and alternative fuels head the list; advanced materials such as composites are at 6th place.
02 June 2009 Abahsain Fiberglass starts production in Bahrain Abahsain Fiberglass Middle East has started production of ECR-glass fibre products at its new factory at the Bahrain International Investment Park.
01 June 2009 Dow increases prices of epoxy resins in in Europe Dow Epoxy will increase prices for its epoxy resins in Europe (including Turkey) from 1 June, or as contracts allow.
30 May 2009 Huntsman Advanced Materials announces global management team Advanced Materials, a division of Huntsman Corporation, has unveiled a new leadership team, effective immediately.
29 May 2009 McConaghy partners with SP on Lutra 80 yacht Composite yacht builder McConaghy Boats is currently working on the Lutra 80, a high performance carbon composite yacht designed for use in the Mediterranean. Its construction will employ SP's composite materials.
29 May 2009 How much would a Mantide cost? $2 million is the answer. It's a carbon composite supercar based on the Corvette ZR1.
29 May 2009 TenCate launches prepreg for satellite structures Tencate Advanced Composites USA has developed a cyanate resin prepreg system designed to meet the needs of manufacturers of satellite structures.
28 May 2009 Celanese Emulsion Polymers updates website Celanese Emulsion Polymers, a producer of products for glass fibre sizing, unveils its new website.
28 May 2009 Composite Insights publishes report on composites industry in India The future of the Indian composites industry looks prosperous through 2014 and beyond, study says.
28 May 2009 Industrial equipment markets hit by varying GDP growth The developing world will outpace the developed world in purchases of industrial equipment in 2009, as most developed countries experience declines in gross domestic product (GDP) while a number of developing countries show growth.
27 May 2009 Reichhold announces price increase for Europe Resin supplier Reichhold is increasing prices on all products for the European composites industry.
27 May 2009 SAMPE 2009 attracts 3300 visitors The SAMPE 2009 conference and exhibition attracted 250 exhibiting companies and 3300 attendees to Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on 18-21 May.
26 May 2009 Ahlstrom announces further layoffs at Karhula plant Ahlstrom has issued a proposal to start negotiations on temporary layoffs at its glass fibre plant in Karhula, Finland. The Karhula plant produces speciality reinforcements for the composites industry and glass fibre tissue.
26 May 2009 Aircraft recycling symposium A Global Aircraft Recycling Symposium will take place at this year’s Aero & Defense Test 09/ITEA Annual Symposium.
26 May 2009 Siemens to produce wind turbine parts in China Siemens is building a €60 million wind turbine rotor blade and nacelle production facility in Lingang New City, Shanghai, China.
26 May 2009 Aberdeen offshore windfarm scaled down Aberdeen’s proposed offshore windfarm is likely to be scaled down in terms of numbers of turbines, but still capable of becoming a demonstrator centre, participants at the renewable energy conference and exhibition, All-Energy in Aberdeen, Scotland, was told this week.
22 May 2009 Scott Bader offers Crystic® Rapide gel-coat service Scott Bader UK’s new automated dispensing and mixing system can rapidly produce a 25 kg keg of gel-coat in any RAL, BS or colour-matched colour, offering a faster delivery service to customers.
22 May 2009 Gulfstream tests composite aircraft wing Gulfstream Aerospace has completed testing on its first all-composite structural wing assembly.
22 May 2009 Shell Eco-marathon car uses Oxeon carbon fabric A hybrid vehicle constructed using Swedish company Oxeon’s TeXtreme spread carbon tow fabric took part in Shell’s Eco-marathon competition this year.
21 May 2009 Spatial Composite Solutions builds cabin service trainer for Etihad Airways Spatial Composite Solutions has been commissioned to design, build and install an Airbus A320 Cabin Service Trainer (CST) for UAE airline company Etihad Airways.
21 May 2009 Closed Mold Alliance launches website The Closed Mold Alliance has launched a website aimed at companies looking to convert to closed mould composites manufacturing.
21 May 2009 Europe’s largest onshore windfarm switched on The 322 MW Whitelee windfarm outside Glasgow, Scotland, which could be Europe’s largest onshore windfarm, was switched on this week.
21 May 2009 Boat built using carbon nanotube-enhanced prepreg Zyvex Performance Materials (ZPM) has unveiled a new boat which will be built by Strategic Composites and made with ZPM’s carbon nanotube (CNT) enhanced prepreg, Arovex®.
20 May 2009 Future Pipe Industries becomes approved supplier to British Royal Navy Future Pipe Industries Group (FPI) has obtained the Shock Test Certificate for its glass fibre reinforced epoxy pipe systems in order to become a qualified and approved supplier to the British Royal Navy.
20 May 2009 Siemens provides 175 wind turbines for London Array Siemens Energy will supply 175 of its SWT-3.6-107 (3.6 MW) wind turbines to the 1 GW London Array offshore windfarm owned by DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar.
20 May 2009 Pays de St Seine 50 MW windfarm commissioned The 50 MW Pays de St Seine windfarm in France, developed by RES Group’s French subsidiary EOLE-RES3, has been commissioned.
20 May 2009 Owens Corning sells European composites distribution business to Gazechim Owens Corning is selling its European composites distribution business to the Gazechim Groupe of France.
20 May 2009 METYX organises composites conference in Turkey METYX Composites is organising its Second Biennial Composites Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, on 1-6 June.
19 May 2009 Composite Integration wins Business of the Year award Composite Integration Ltd has won two categories in the 2009 Cornwall Business Awards.
19 May 2009 Firehole Technologies and AeroMorphology take composites to UAV industry Firehole Technologies Inc, a provider of composite analysis and simulation software, is partnering with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialist AeroMorphology LLC to take Firehole’s solutions to the UAV industry.
19 May 2009 High Modulus launches pre-fabricated composite panel High Modulus is launching a lightweight, pre-fabricated composite panel designed for use in a range of applications, including boats, bridges, roofing, flooring, holding tanks and flatbeds.
19 May 2009 Siemens opens European headquarters for wind energy Siemens has established European headquarters for wind power sales and project execution in Hamburg, Germany.
18 May 2009 US demand for reinforced plastics to reach 3.6bn lbs in 2013 US demand for reinforced plastics is forecast to grow 2.8% annually to reach 3.6 billion lbs in 2013, giving a market value of US$7.4 billion.
18 May 2009 Ashland begins production of polyester resins in India Ashland Performance Materials has begun production of polyester resins and gel-coats in India and has started customer deliveries in the country and surrounding areas.
15 May 2009 Ashland brings European Modar resin production in-house Ashland Performance Materials will transfer the European production of its Modar® modified acrylic resins into its wholly-owned manufacturing facility in Sauveterre, France.
15 May 2009 DoE: US$8.5m for on wind energy-focused projects and US$25m for wind testing centre The US Department of Energy (DoE) has selected 53 projects focusing on wind energy for up to US$8.5 million in DoE funding and has announced US$25m for the Massachusetts Wind Technology Testing Center.
14 May 2009 Kockums licenses composites technology to Japanese shipyard Swedish shipyard Kockums has signed a licensing agreement with the Japanese shipyard Universal Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) giving USC the right to use Kockums’ composite sandwich technology in the production of hull structures for mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs).
14 May 2009 London Array offshore windfarm given go-ahead DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar will invest €2.2 billion in building the first 630 MW phase of the London Array offshore windfarm in the Thames Estuary, UK.
13 May 2009 Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act introduced in US Congress The Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009 looking at the development of marine and hydrokinetic energy resources has been introduced in the US House of Representatives and the companion legislation has been introduced in the US Senate.
13 May 2009 Global small wind market grew 53% in 2008 Global sales in the small wind (<100kW) market grew 53% to 38.7 MW in 2008 representing 19,000 units and US$156 million.
13 May 2009 AGY reports first quarter sales down US glass fibre reinforcements company AGY reports net sales of US$39.6 million for the first quarter of 2009, 31.7% down on the first quarter of 2008.
13 May 2009 Making wind turbines more efficient and reducing noise A wind turbine at Tjæreborg Enge, 10 km south of Esbjerg in Denmark, has been fitted with a test blade with advanced measuring equipment to gather data on how to make wind turbines more efficient and less noisy.
12 May 2009 AOC announces price increase for Europe and Asia Resin supplier AOC LLC will increase prices on all products in Europe and Asia from 1 June.
11 May 2009 AOC announces price increase for USA and Canada AOC LLC will increase prices on all resin and gel-coat products in the USA and Canada from 1 June.
11 May 2009 Ashland, Amtech and Endurance collaborate on wind turbine blades Ashland Performance Materials has announced a partnership with Amtech LLC and Endurance Wind Power to produce wind turbine blades at Amtech's North American manufacturing facility in Washington state.
11 May 2009 Core Molding Technologies reports net loss for first quarter Core Molding Technologies, a US manufacturer of composite materials and products, reports a net loss for the first quarter of 2009 of US$660,000, compared with net income of $864,000 in the first quarter of 2008.
08 May 2009 Quatro Composites displays optimisation technology for carbon composites Quatro Composites will highlight its proprietary methodology designed to optimise the structural performance of carbon fibre composite components at the SAMPE show in Baltimore later this month.
08 May 2009 Bayer builds production plant for carbon nanotubes Bayer MaterialScience AG has started construction of a facility for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in Chempark Leverkusen, Germany. The plant will have a capacity of 200 tons/year.
07 May 2009 ASTM works on new composites standards Standards organisation ASTM is working on proposed new standards that involve fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites.
07 May 2009 Exel Composites’ sales down 11% in first quarter Pultruder Exel Composites reports net sales of €18.5 million for the three months 1 January-31 March 2009, 11.4% down on the 2008 first quarter.
07 May 2009 DSM Composite Resins announces price increase DSM Composite Resins is increasing prices across its entire product range by 3-5%.
06 May 2009 Siemens builds wind turbine nacelle facility in USA Siemens plans to build a wind turbine nacelle production facility in Hutchinson, Kansas, USA, to meet the “strong demand for wind turbine equipment in North and South America in the future.”
06 May 2009 ATK composites key in Delta II rocket launch Alliant Techsystems (ATK) composites technologies paid a key role in the successful launch of United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on 5 May.
06 May 2009 EU passes €5bn Economic Recovery Plan – includes renewables and energy infrastructure The European Parliament passed the €5 billion European Union (EU) Economic Recovery Plan on 6 May 2009, which will see investment in energy projects, broadband internet infrastructure and rural development.
06 May 2009 Siemens to supply 21 wind turbines for Baltic 1 offshore windfarm Siemens Energy and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG have signed a contract for the supply of 21 SWT 2.3-93 wind turbines for Germany’s first commercial offshore windfarm, the 48.3 MW Baltic 1.
05 May 2009 High Modulus reports revenue growth High Modulus, a supplier of composite technology and structural engineering solutions, reports significant revenue growth for the year ending 31 March 2009.
05 May 2009 Boeing 787 moves closer to first flight The Boeing 787 Dreamliner scheduled to fly later this quarter has moved to the flight line. The aircraft's construction is 50% composite materials.
05 May 2009 Potential for wave and tidal power in England and Wales A study will look into the potential for wave, tidal stream and tidal range technologies around the English and Welsh coastlines, according to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
01 May 2009 Premix wins award for composite HVAC component A composite blower housing for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry has earned Premix Inc the 2008 Thermoset Durability Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
01 May 2009 Owens Corning reports composites sales down in first quarter For the first quarter of 2009, Owens Corning reports consolidated net sales of US$1.1 billion, down 21% from the first quarter of 2008. Sales in its Composites business declined, mainly as a result of the global economic slowdown.
01 May 2009 PolyOne launches long-fibre thermoplastic compounds PolyOne Corporation has launched OnForce™ LFT long-fibre thermoplastic compounds.
30 April 2009 Insitu receives SUAV contract from Canadian Government Insitu has received a US$30 million contract from the Canadian government to provide small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) services to support the Canadian Forces’ intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations in Afghanistan.
30 April 2009 China spending more on FGD than US Chinese suppliers of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems have installed or have orders for plants with the total electrical capacity of over 500,000 MW, according to market analyst The McIlvaine Company. This compares to only 180,000 MW in the USA.
30 April 2009 ECC supplies 18 composite tanks to chlor-alkali producer Energy Composites Corporation (ECC) has completed the delivery of 18 large bore, fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) tanks to a chlor-alkali producer.
30 April 2009 Laptop cover made of carbon composites RocTool and Performance Materials Corporation (PMC) have made a complete laptop cover using carbon composites.
30 April 2009 E.ON withdraws from Wave Hub project E.ON and Ocean Prospect are withdrawing from the Wave Hub wave power project off the north Cornish coast in the UK.
30 April 2009 Tough times for wind energy whereas solar power is rising in 2009 The year ahead will be tough for wind energy whereas solar power will experience an uptick in 2009, according to analyst Emerging Energy Research (EER).
30 April 2009 DSM's first quarter sees sales down For the first quarter of 2009 DSM reports net sales of €1,837 million, down 22% on the first quarter of 2008 and down 12% on the fourth quarter of 2008.
30 April 2009 AWEA annual wind energy report shows strong growth in 2008 The American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) annual wind energy industry rankings report shows that wind energy leaders in several categories maintained their number one positions, while 24 states saw new wind turbine and component manufacturing facilities opened, expanded or announced in 2008.
29 April 2009 Vestas to scale back production facilities in Europe One of the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers is to shed 1900 manufacturing jobs in the UK and Denmark.
29 April 2009 Ahlstrom initiates restructuring programme aimed at cost reductions Speciality glass reinforcements and fibre-based materials supplier Ahlstrom has announced a further restructuring programme aimed at annual cost reductions of €50 million, to take full effect in 2010.
29 April 2009 Environmentally friendly solvent for removing epoxy and polyester resins Applied Chemical Laboratories Inc has developed an environmentally friendly solvent formulated to remove epoxy and polyester resins from manufacturing equipment, work surfaces and production floors.
29 April 2009 Exel changes its name to Exel Composites Exel plc is changing its name to Exel Composites plc in English and Exel Composites Oyj in Finnish.
29 April 2009 AOC’s vinyl ester resin in odour control system A fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite structure made with the corrosion-resistant Vipel® vinyl ester resin from AOC has been applied to an odour control system from Bay Products.
29 April 2009 Hexcel reports first quarter sales down Advanced composite materials supplier Hexcel Corporation reports net sales for the first quarter of 2009 of US$307.3 million, 10.8% down on the first quarter of 2008.
28 April 2009 Aerospace Testing show set for Hamburg in 2010 The Aerospace Testing, Design and Manufacturing Show will move to Hamburg in 2010, to run alongside the Aircraft Interiors Expo. This will enable visitors to both shows to see the progression of technology from initial quality testing through to final aircraft interior.
27 April 2009 Thomas GmbH’s radius pultrusion nominated for the Hermes-Award Thomas GmbH + Co Technik + Innovation KG saw its radius pultrusion in the final for this year’s international technology award, Hermes Award, at the Hannover Messe in April, 2009, in Germany.
27 April 2009 TenCate installs aerospace thermoplastic prepreg line Tencate Advanced Composites USA has installed a thermoplastic unitape prepreg line to meet the growing demand for aerospace thermoplastic composites.
27 April 2009 LM Glasfiber’s revenues up 53% in 2008 LM Glasfiber saw a 53% jump in revenues to €885 million and recorded an operating profit of €91m in 2008.
27 April 2009 UK wind industry ready to pump £2.5billion "direct into UK economy" The UK's wind power industry has given a thumbs up to a £525 million support package in Budget 2009, and believes that this will enable the industry to unlock up to £10bn of private sector investment in wind and marine energy projects over the coming few years.
24 April 2009 DEDIENNE enters licence agreement for mould induction heating process DEDIENNE MULTIPLASTURGY® Group has converted its development licence for the Roc Tool Cage System® process for mould induction heating from RocTool into a production licence.
24 April 2009 Ashland enters logistics services agreement for Europe Ashland Performance Materials has entered into a logistics services agreement for Europe with De Rijke in the Netherlands.
24 April 2009 Airtricity and Fluor form Round 3 offshore wind consortium Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) subsidiary Airtricity and Fluor Ltd are creating a new consortium to bid for the exclusive rights to develop windfarms under The Crown Estate's Round 3 Offshore Wind Farm Development Programme.
24 April 2009 Interplastic vinyl ester resin approved by Lloyd’s Register Interplastic Corporation has received a certificate of approval from Lloyd’s Register for its CORVE8121 vinyl ester laminating resin.
23 April 2009 DIAB opens core manufacturing operation in India Structural core materials producer DIAB opened its new core manufacturing operation in Chennai, India, in late March.
23 April 2009 All-Finanz buys Menzolit Compounds International Menzolit group has been sold to German investor All-Finanz for an undisclosed sum, but will continue ‘business as usual.’
23 April 2009 Stork Fokker agrees purchase of Virtek laser projection systems Aircraft structures specialist Stork Fokker AESP of the Netherlands has signed an agreement with Virtek Vision International Inc, Canada, for the purchase of Virtek’s laser templating systems over the next five years.
23 April 2009 Lectra introduces cutter for large composite parts A fabric cutter designed for use in cutting very long pieces of composite materials is being introduced by Lectra, the French supplier of specialised software and cutting systems for textiles, composites and other materials.
22 April 2009 UK 2009 budget latest: offshore wind and energy efficiency the early winners The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has delivered his latest budget, which includes £1.4 billion of extra targeted support in the low carbon sector, including offshore wind, energy efficiency, and small scale renewables.
22 April 2009 FlexPLY trademark for composite springs US composites fabricator Composiflex has announced the registration of its FlexPLY® trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office. This will be used to brand the company’s line of high performance composite springs.
22 April 2009 BASF completes Ciba Holding AG acquisition BASF has completed its acquisition of Ciba Holding AG, with BASF now holding 95.8% of Ciba.
21 April 2009 MFG’s FRP pile jackets restore St. George’s pier in New York MFG-CP, a division of Moulded Fiber Glass Companies, supplied 20 ft stay-in-place fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) pile jackets filled with lightweight concrete to Pennmax Engineering, that are used to restore St. George’s 845 ft long pier in New York.
21 April 2009 Mesh abrasive wheels for composites available from Rex-Cut A line of Type 27 flexible mesh abrasive wheels in several grades for grinding, sanding, and preparing the surfaces of composite wind turbine blades, fibreglass boat hulls, and related products for coating, is available from Rex-Cut Products.
20 April 2009 Composite aircraft wins Young Aerospace Engineer award A team developing a radio-controlled full composite aircraft will be the winner of this year’s Young Aerospace Engineer of the Year Technology and Innovation Award at the Aerospace Testing & Manufacturing Expo in Munich on 21-23 April 2009.
20 April 2009 Arkema acquires PEKK As part of its acquisition of American Oxford Performance Materials (OPM) earlier this year, Arkema acquired the OXPEKK® range of high performance polyether ketone ketone (PEKK) polymers.
20 April 2009 RheTech to manufacture STAMAX long fibre composites in USA An agreement between RheTech Inc and SABIC Innovative Plastics will see RheTech become the toll manufacturer of SABIC’s STAMAX long glass fibre reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites for the automotive industry, and SABIC acquire RheTech's RheMax long glass fibre reinforced PP product line.
20 April 2009 AOC increases resin prices for Mexico AOC LLC has announced a US$0.05/lb price increase on all resins, gel-coats, pigments, colorants and additives for shipments in Mexico.
17 April 2009 Swansea University studies high performance composite materials The School of Engineering at Swansea University has been awarded £655 000 to study high performance composite materials that will be used in a new generation of aircraft, buildings and sports equipment.
17 April 2009 Hexcel uses Acoustocam for non destructive inspection of composites Hexcel Corporation is using Imperium’s ultrasonic camera Acoustocam™ I-500 for non-destructive inspection of composites.
17 April 2009 ACG’s carbon foam tooling system for composites finalised Advanced Composites Group (ACG) and graphite and carbon-based products producer GrafTech International Ltd have finalised processing and performance requirements of ACG GRAFOAM® FPA-20 Carbon Foam Tooling System.
17 April 2009 Siemens supplies 13 wind turbines to Turkey Siemens has received a turnkey order for the supply of 13 of its SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines from EnerjiSA Power Generating Company for Çanakkale-Mahmudiye windfarm in Northwest Turkey.
17 April 2009 Energy Composites Corp acquires wind turbine blade manufacturing land Energy Composites Corporation has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the City of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, USA, to acquire a 54 acre parcel of land for a 350 000 ft2 composites fabrication plant for manufacturing wind turbine blades.
16 April 2009 TenCate supplies composites for solar car Solar Team Twente will use advanced composite materials from TenCate for its solar powered car, which will participate in the 10th World Solar Challenge in Australia on 25-31 October, 2009.
16 April 2009 Energy Composites Corp launches WindFiber strategy Energy Composites Corporation has launched a composites-in-wind-energy programme, WindFiber™, under which it will carry out wind-related innovation, engineering, customer proposition, production and services planning, and logistics activities.
16 April 2009 Multibrid supplies 80 offshore wind turbines for Global Tech 1 windfarm Multibrid, a subsidiary of AREVA, will supply 80 M5000 5 MW offshore wind turbines for the 400 MW Global Tech 1 windfarm 90 km from the coast in the German North Sea.
16 April 2009 Gurit ramps up automotive composites production Gurit's facility for automotive composite parts has increased production and a new technical centre is being created. The company says that its technology for carbon composite car body panels has now been validated on up to 2000 units per year.
16 April 2009 Gurit offers composite materials for ocean energy market Building on its experience in the marine and wind energy sectors, composite materials supplier Gurit is expanding its interests into the emerging ocean energy (wave and tidal power) market. The strength and corrosion resistance of composite materials are expected to be key to the success of these devices operating in the harsh marine environment.
15 April 2009 AGL constructs 132 MW Hallett 4 windfarm in South Australia AGL Energy Ltd has entered into agreements for the construction of the 132 MW Hallett 4 windfarm at North Brown Hill in South Australia.
15 April 2009 Fund for Severn Estuary tidal concepts A £500,000 fund has been launched to help environmental entrepreneurs and small businesses develop ideas to generate renewable electricity from the River Severn's tidal power.
15 April 2009 DONG Energy installs first offshore wind turbine at Gunfleet Sands DONG Energy has installed the first offshore wind turbine at its Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm project in the Thames Estuary off the East coast of England.
15 April 2009 Acorn Growth Companies acquires Integrated Composites Acorn Growth Companies has acquired the California-based advanced composite aircraft components and structures manufacturer, Integrated Composites Inc.
15 April 2009 Ashland increases resin prices in Europe and Asia Ashland Performance Materials is increasing the prices of its unsaturated polyester resins and gel-coats sold in Europe and Asia Pacific by 3-4%.
15 April 2009 VISTAGY’s software used for composite fuselage sections Tier One supplier to Airbus, Premium AEROTEC, is using VISTAGY Inc’s FiberSIM® software to design and manufacture large composite fuselage sections.
14 April 2009 Spread carbon tow fabric applied to glider Oxeon’s spread carbon tow fabric TeXtreme® has been used in Momentum Model Technologies HB’s lightweight hand-launched glider, Sirius F3K.
14 April 2009 TenCate and Airbus continue composite materials partnership Airbus has extended its existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TenCate for composite materials for its aircraft.
14 April 2009 Ocean Power receives funding for Hawaii wave power project Ocean Power Technologies Inc has received additional funding of US$1.1 million for its on-going project with the US Navy to demonstrate the PowerBuoy® wave power system off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
14 April 2009 Stratiforme produces composite train door using RTM The composite lateral cover or engine compartment door for the high-speed French TGV train was made using the light resin transfer moulding (RTM Light) process at Stratiforme Industries, of Bersee, France.
10 April 2009 Mitsubishi postpones start-up of carbon fibre plant Mitsubishi Rayon Co Ltd is postponing the start of production at its new carbon fibre plant in Otake City, Japan, for approximately one year. The company’s decision reflects a slow down in demand for carbon fibre in several markets as a result of the global economic downturn.
09 April 2009 3B introduces Advantex™ fibreglass dry chopped strand Fibreglass manufacturer 3B is introducing a fibreglass dry chopped strand product for reinforced polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) compounds.
09 April 2009 HOBAS’ GRP pipes applied to hydropower station HOBAS’ centrifugally cast glass fibre reinforced plastics (CC-GRP) pipes are being applied to a hydropower station at the estuary of the rivers Pöls and Mur in Austria.
09 April 2009 Devi Consultancy Services launches design and engineering programme Devi Consultancy Services is launching a design and engineering programme featuring 2D to 3D computer assisted design (CAD) conversions, rapid prototyping, special machine design and build, and computer aided engineering/finite element analysis (CAE/FEA) capabilities.
08 April 2009 Good visitor numbers at JEC The JEC Composites Show 2009 attracted 27 000 visitors and 1065 exhibitors to Paris, France in March despite the economic turbulence.
08 April 2009 GKN Aerospace starts work on UK composites facility GKN Aerospace has started work on the creation of a new composites manufacturing facility in Bristol, UK. This will form a key part of GKN Aerospace-Filton’s plans to become a global centre of excellence in composite aircraft wing structures.
08 April 2009 TenCate’s composite textile applications on show Three automotive applications using TenCate’s composite ‘smart textiles’ are on show at the AutoRAI 2009 car show in Amsterdam, the Netherlands this April.
07 April 2009 Gurit’s net income soars 1600% in 2008 High-end composite materials producer Gurit, has reported a 1600% jump in net income to CHF17 million for the full financial year of 2008.
07 April 2009 IVW receives awards for composite innovation The Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe (IVW) GmbH won two composite innovation awards at the JEC Show in Paris, France, in March.
06 April 2009 Graco exhibits wind energy manufacturing equipment Graco® will exhibit its fluid handling equipment for wind energy manufacturing applications at the WINDPOWER 2009 Conference and Exhibition on 4-7 May, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
06 April 2009 Tecnofibras produces composite truck roofs Tecnofibras, part of Busscar Group, is producing composite mid roofs for International do Brazil’s truck model 9800.
03 April 2009 MAG automates composite wind turbine blade production MAG is introducing rapid material placement and quick-cure moulding systems that reduce lay-up infusion and curing time by 50%, double throughput and increases quality for wind turbine blades.
03 April 2009 Scott Bader launches improved sanitaryware gelcoat Scott Bader has launched an improved sanitaryware gelcoat range, Crystic® 967 Excel, with “enhanced” properties and long term performance.
02 April 2009 FRP Equipment expands fibreglass recycling line FRP Equipment Inc, a division of fibreglass producer and glass fibre recycling machinery manufacturer Seawolf Design, has expanded its line to include three more machines for recycling fibreglass.
01 April 2009 Umeco Composites restructures Umeco Composites has restructured its operations into two subsidiaries: Process Materials and Structural Materials.
31 March 2009 IFS’ FRP composite layer prevents steam manhole burns Industrial Fiberglass Specialties Inc (IFS) has developed a hybrid steam manhole cover that includes an insulating layer of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to prevent burns.
31 March 2009 Wave power converter relies on composites A wave energy converter designed to produce electricity from the movement of waves is being developed in Europe. The device’s construction relies on composites to provide long-term corrosion and impact resistance, and low maintenance.
31 March 2009 GKN Aerospace and SLCR develop laser repair process for composites GKN Aerospace and SLCR Lasertechnik GmbH (SLCR) have signed an agreement to develop an automated laser process designed to provide better, cheaper and faster repair of composite aircraft structures.
30 March 2009 VISTAGY and ITS cooperate in Russian composite aerospace market Engineering software company VISTAGY Inc has entered a strategic partnership with Innovation Technologies and Solutions (ITS) for VISTAGY’s composites engineering software for the aerospace industry.
27 March 2009 Quickstep wins research contract for F-35 carbon composites Quickstep Holdings Ltd has been awarded a subcontract to support advanced composites fabricator Vector Composites on a research programme focusing on developing an out-of-autoclave processing cycle on a high temperature bismaleimide/carbon fibre prepreg composite system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Programme.
27 March 2009 ‘Composite Park’ to be established in France The Composite Park project aims to establish a business park dedicated to composite materials and plastics processing in the Eastern Moselle area of France. Financial incentives are available to support the set up of new companies.
27 March 2009 Strongwell’s fibreglass replaces heavy concrete covers Lightweight fibreglass reinforced polymer (FRP) covers from Strongwell’s fabricator GEF Incorporated, have replaced heavy concrete utility trench covers.
26 March 2009 AGY buys 70% stake in E-glass yarn producer AGY has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Grace THW Holding Ltd to acquire a 70% controlling interest in the E-glass yarn producer Shanghai Grace Technology Company Ltd.
26 March 2009 Fiberforge and Oribi Manufacturing enter composite licensing deal Fiberforge has signed a licensing agreement allowing Oribi Manufacturing to develop and produce advanced composite parts using Fiberforge’s Relay™ Station.
25 March 2009 Alcan Composites introduces second generation PET foam Alcan Composites introduces the second generation of its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam core material, AIREX® T92.
25 March 2009 Amber Composites and Axson Technologies broaden partnership Amber Composites and Axson Technologies are adding Italy, Spain and Portugal to the list of countries to which the companies’ complete composite solution is available.
24 March 2009 Composite catamaran launched The 63 ft Brazilian composite catamaran Cat 190 manufactured with vinyl ester resin through an infusion process has been launched by São Paulo-based shipyard Brasil Cat.
24 March 2009 LM Glasfiber supplies wind turbine blades to Goldwind LM Glasfiber will provide wind turbine blades to Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd under a large supply agreement, which has lead LM Glasfiber to establish its third wind turbine blade factory in China.
20 March 2009 Victrex enables thinner prepregs for carbon fibre composites Japanese carbon fibre composite materials company Mitsuya has developed a <40 µm prepreg sheet using Victrex’ APTIV™ film as the matrix polymer.
20 March 2009 Dow manufactures wind energy formulations in China and South Korea Dow Epoxy Systems (DES) has established a manufacturing facility in China and will start producing blends in a Dow Epoxy site in South Korea to serve composites, wind energy and infrastructure customers in the China and Asia Pacific region.
17 March 2009 ACG signs supply agreement with Southern Spars Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG), part of Umeco’s Composites Division, has signed a three-year supply agreement with the carbon fibre spars manufacturer Southern Spars.
17 March 2009 Vestas and Boeing collaborate on technology research Vestas and Boeing plan to collaborate on joint research projects that further the development of environmentally progressive technologies for the wind energy and aerospace industries.
17 March 2009 Automating wind turbine blade manufacture Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica and M.Torres Diseños Industriales will cooperate on R&D for a new concept for wind turbine blade design, as well as on an automated wind turbine blade manufacturing process.
17 March 2009 Fiberglass Structural Engineering appoints CEO Fiberglass Structural Engineering (FSE) has appointed Christopher Renoud, the son of founder Winston Renoud, as its new Chief Executive Officer.
16 March 2009 Quickstep to boost Middle East aerospace sales Quickstep Holdings Ltd has signed two key agreements with Abu Dhabi-based diversified conglomerate, Al Farida Group, for sales in the Middle East, and a convertible loan agreement.
16 March 2009 Welcome to our new website Reinforced Plastics has launched a re-designed website with improved functionality and features.
16 March 2009 FRP deck solution offered for long span bridges Composite Advantage LLC (CA) has developed a fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite deck product for long span bridge applications.
13 March 2009 Alcan Airex licences foamable PET technology to Armacell Alcan Airex AG, part of Alcan Composites, and Armacell GmbH and have reached a licence agreement on Alcan Airex’s foamable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) technologies, thereby ending all pending patent lawsuits.
13 March 2009 Architectural cladding system based on composites A modular cladding system based on sandwich composites has been developed by Skandinaviska Glassystem (SG), Sweden, for a building in Denmark. The lightweight composite approach results in faster installation, requiring less people, than the traditional steel latticework method.
13 March 2009 Menzolit not affected by Plastal insolvency Menzolit has issued a statement that it is not affected by the insolvency of Plastal Holding AB of Mölndal, Sweden, filed on 5 March.
11 March 2009 Hexcel constructs wind energy prepreg facility Hexcel has begun construction of its prepreg manufacturing plant to serve the North American wind energy industry in Windsor’s Great Western Industrial Park, Colorado, USA.
10 March 2009 GE Aviation opens Chinese manufacturing facility GE Aviation has opened a systems manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China for autoclaved composite parts, mechanical fabrications, structure assembly and civil aircraft actuation systems.
10 March 2009 Wind bracing itself for slower 2009 Emerging Energy Research’s (EER) 2008 Wind Turbine Market Share Update shows that banking on long-term growth, turbine manufacturers push capacity investments while bracing for slower 2009.
10 March 2009 LM Glasfiber inaugurates wind blade factory LM Glasfiber has inaugurated a composite wind turbine blade production facility in Goleniów, Poland, to serve the rapidly growing multi-megawatts wind turbine segment for onshore and offshore windfarms in the Northern, Central and Eastern parts of Europe.
09 March 2009 Hexion builds wind energy epoxy materials facility Hexion Specialty Chemicals will build a production facility in Esslingen, Germany, to produce specialty epoxy resins used in the production of wind turbine blades for the wind energy market.
09 March 2009 Monitoring corrosion of composite tanks Fibermaq of São Paulo, Brazil, has released a monitor measuring corrosion of composite tanks.
06 March 2009 Carbon fibre oar shafts take the waves CST Composites has started producing carbon fibre composite shafts for surf and rowing scull oars.
06 March 2009 Over 70 technical presentations at Aerospace Testing Over 70 technical presentations, including some on composites, will be given by industry experts at Reed Exhibitions’ Aerospace Testing, Design & Manufacturing Expo, on 21-23 April in Munich, Germany.
05 March 2009 Material and structure modelling software released e-Xstream of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, has released DIGIMAT 3.2.1, a nonlinear multi-scale material and structure modelling platform for composites.
05 March 2009 TAI delivers first composite parts for F-35 Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc (TAI), a supplier to Northrop Grumman Corp on the F-35 Lightning II programme, has delivered its first composite parts for the aircraft.
05 March 2009 VEC Technology delivers military containers VEC Technology LLC, (VEC) has begun delivery of VEC built composite containers to the US Army National Guard (USANG) under a US$1.5 million initial test order.
03 March 2009 Composite anti-slip offers weight reduction The glass fibre reinforced (GRP) composite LAMILUX Anti Slip from LAMILUX Heinrich Strunz GmbH offers weight reductions over wood, and strong rigidity.
03 March 2009 Software cuts lead time by 20% Airborne Composites expects to cut new product lead time by 20% and scaled versions by 30% using VISTAGY’s FiberSIM® Software for composite design and tooling.
02 March 2009 High-performance plastic available as micro-powder The plastics division of BASF has launched a high-temperature resistant Ultrason® thermoplastic E 2020 P SR in the form of flakes and micronised as a powder.
02 March 2009 Composite floor plinths for Airbus A380 Tods Aerospace has entered the first phase of a contract to manufacture more than 700 structural composites flooring plinths for premium class seating areas for a new fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft.
02 March 2009 METYX distributes CFM for 3B METYX Composites will be the exclusive distributor in Turkey for 3B The Fibreglass Company's Advantex™ Continuous Filament Mat (CFM).
01 March 2009 Gurit receives damage payment from Zoltek GURIT HAS received US$21 million, or $23.5 million including interest, in damage payment from Zoltek Corporation.
27 February 2009 Quickstep enters aerospace teaming agreement Quickstep Holdings Ltd has signed a teaming agreement with EDAG Australia Pty Ltd forming an alliance to assist with targeting composite aerospace and defence manufacturing contracts.
27 February 2009 Plexus website updated ITW Plexus has updated and improved its web site with more information about its products and services.
27 February 2009 Study of FRP in infrastructure US and French researchers are teaming up to study the implementation of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites in civil infrastructure such as bridges.
27 February 2009 India's Mahindra expands into boat building Leading Indian industrial group Mahindra has announced its intention to start manufacturing composite powerboats and catamarans.
27 February 2009 HITCO manufactures composites for F-35 Lightning II Lockheed Martin has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) selecting HITCO to manufacture wing skins and other composite components for the F-35 Lightning II programme.
26 February 2009 SP appoints distributor for NSW Australia SP, the marine business of Gurit based on the Isle of Wight, UK, has appointed MarineWare Pty Ltd as its distributor for SP branded products in New South Wales, Australia.
26 February 2009 COMPOSITES EUROPE exhibition returns to Stuttgart Germany's biggest composites exhibition, COMPOSITES EUROPE, returns to Stuttgart in 2009.
25 February 2009 USA and China experience wind power boom The USA has passed Germany to become world number one in wind power installations at the same time as China's total capacity doubles for the fourth year in a row, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reports.
25 February 2009 Camera allows remote composites inspection Imperium Inc, in collaboration with Boeing engineers, has developed a portable ultrasound imaging camera for remote inspection and review of composite structures.
24 February 2009 Prepregs supplied for Chinese wind turbines Gurit has entered a contract for supplying prepreg materials to a Chinese wind turbine manufacturer.
20 February 2009 Many environmental markets to grow despite recession While air and water pollution control companies won’t be reporting record profits in 2009 and 2010, they will balance lost sales in some markets with growth in others, according to the latest forecasts from the McIlvaine Company.
18 February 2009 Meridian installs SMC capabilities in Mexico Meridian Automotive Systems Inc of Allen Park, Michigan, USA, plans to install sheet moulding compounding (SMC) capabilities in Mexico.
17 February 2009 Polyurethane pultrusion produces military containers A polyurethane pultrusion process from Bayer MaterialScience has been used to produce composite military containers.
16 February 2009 Soy-based resin for SMC/BMC and pultrusion Reichhold has introduced a soy oil based resin, Polylite® 31325-00, suitable for sheet/ bulk moulding compound (SMC/BMC) and pultrusion.
16 February 2009 Combined wind and wave power device Green Ocean Energy Ltd has developed a wave power machine which attaches to an offshore wind turbine thereby giving combined wind and wave power from one installation.
13 February 2009 B787 production resumes The production of Boeing's composites-intensive B787 has resumed with the joining of the fifth aircraft designated for flight test.
12 February 2009 Centre for aircraft composites in China Airbus and a group of Chinese industrial partners have signed a contract to establish a joint venture (JV) manufacturing centre in Harbin, China, for aircraft composites.
09 February 2009 DSM Composite Resins and BÜFA form joint ventures DSM Composite Resins AG, headquartered in Switzerland, and BÜFA GmbH & Co KG, Germany, have announced plans to form two joint ventures.
01 February 2009 Huntsman and Hexion terminate merger Huntsman and Hexion have reached an agreement to terminate the merger of the two companies, and to end all litigations among Hexion, Apollo Management and Huntsman.
01 February 2009 Composite components for military aircraft A long-term strategic agreement on the manufacturing of composite components for the Embraer C-390 Military Transporter Aircraft has been entered between HITCO Carbon Composites and Denel Saab Aerostructures.
30 January 2009 H3 Aerospace acquires Grob Aircraft H3 Aerospace GmbH & Co KG will acquire major parts of Grob Aerospace GmbH and continue operations under the new company name Grob Aircraft AG.
29 January 2009 Construction composites worth US$3.1bn in 2013 The European construction market for composite applications is estimated to reach US$3.1 billion in 2013, according to consultant Lucintel.
26 January 2009 AVK conference – call for papers The German Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK) is inviting presentations on composites materials for its 2009 International AVK Conference for Reinforced Plastics and Thermosets.
20 January 2009 Ahlstrom plans closures and layoffs Ahlstrom plans plant closures in Italy and temporary and permanent layoffs worldwide in response to weakening demand.
14 January 2009 Interplastic launches corrosion resins A line of fire retardant vinyl ester resins for composites applications launched by Interplastic Corp are designed for use in corrosion, transportation, construction and general consumer goods requiring high fire and corrosion resistance.
13 January 2009 Robot inspects composite wind turbines A robot has been developed to inspect composite wind turbine blades in minute detail on location.
08 January 2009 Toray invests in European composites manufacturer Japanese carbon fibre producer Toray Industries Inc is investing in ACE Advanced Composite Engineering GmbH, a German developer of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts for cars and trucks.
02 January 2009 Foam-cored sandwich structures in Chinese jet The polymethacrylimide (PMI) rigid foam ROHACELL® from Evonik Industries is used as a core material in the winglet and flap vane of China’s first domestically produced regional passenger jet, ARJ21-700 from ACAC Consortium.
16 December 2008 Wind dying down? The global economic turmoil has started having an impact on the wind energy industry in Europe, according to Frost & Sullivan, who say some companies are cutting down forecasts and production for 2009.
15 December 2008 Composites break speed record Gurit's prepreg, adhesive materials and coating systems assisted the Vestas SailRocket speed sailing craft to become the world’s fastest sailing boat.
15 December 2008 Boeing moves first B787 delivery to 2010 Boeing has released an updated schedule for its 787 Dreamliner programme that moves the aircraft's first flight into the second quarter of 2009 and first delivery into the first quarter of 2010. 50% of the B787's primary structure – including the fuselage and wing – will be made of composite materials.
12 December 2008 FRP tanks for chlorine and caustic soda Energy Composites Corp (ECC) has delivered and installed a large-bore, vertically-wound fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) tank for a North American manufacturer of chlorine and caustic soda under a deal worth US$2.5 million.
12 December 2008 Phenolic prepregs bolster vehicle armour Advanced Composites Group will supply glass phenolic prepreg materials for a UK Ministry of Defence project bolstering vehicle armour and improving protection for British troops.
12 December 2008 Composite cladding for Mecca clock tower Premier Composite Technologies has been awarded the contract to build the 35 000 m2 of composite cladding that will be used on the upper 200 m of the Dokkae Tower in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
10 December 2008 Composite analysis software aids launch vehicle A partnership to speed up the construction of XCOR’s composite two-seat Lynx suborbital launch vehicle has been announced by XCOR and Firehole Technologies of Laramie, Wyoming, USA.
09 December 2008 Umeco adds to its composites business Umeco Plc, London, UK, has acquired Italian company Industria Plastica Monregalese (IPM) from its private shareholders for €16.8 million. IPM supplies vacuum bagging films for the composites industry and other markets and forms part of Umeco’s strategy to develop a wider global presence in the wind energy market.
05 December 2008 ACG's prepregs used in car race world champion Advanced Composites Group’s (ACG) MTM®57 component prepregs assisted SEAT’s León race cars to victory in the 2008 FIA World Touring Car Champion (WTCC) series.
04 December 2008 AGY increases S-2 Glass capacity by 20% AGY is increasing the production capacity of its S-2 Glass® fibre products by another 20% in response to continued robust demand for composite armour systems in US military vehicles.
27 November 2008 Designing composite submarine parts Howaldtswerke-Deutsch Werft GmbH is using VISTAGY’S FiberSIM® engineering software to design and manufacture parts for submarines made of composite materials.
20 November 2008 Thermoplastic oil pan adopted for cars Daimler’s new four-cylinder diesel engine (OM651) features a 6 litre oil pan made from DuPont™ Zytel® 70G35 HSLR glass reinforced polyamide (PA).
20 November 2008 ECC to distribute Swancor resins to US wind industry US manufacturer Energy Composites Corporation (ECC) and Swancor Industries Co Ltd of Taiwan have signed an agreement that gives ECC the exclusive right to distribute Swancor’s epoxy resins to manufacturers of composite wind energy system components in North and South America.
19 November 2008 Turkish F-35 supplier opens composites factory Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc (TAI) has opened a new composites facility in Ankara, Turkey, to support its role as a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman Corp on the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft programme.
07 November 2008 Understanding bio-materials A project led by UK organisations NetComposites and BRE will assess the environmental credentials of naturally-derived construction materials, including fibre reinforced plastics (FRP).
07 November 2008 Boeing sees China as fastest growing aviation market Aircraft maker Boeing forecasts that China will need 3710 new aircraft worth about US$390 billion over the next 20 years.
05 November 2008 Composites for tidal turbines Advanced Composites Group (ACG) has announced that it will play a 'major role' in a research and development project involving composites for use in tidal turbine generators.
01 November 2008 Bombardier takes back Learjet 85 Bombardier Aerospace of Canada has terminated its development agreement with Grob Aerospace AG for the composite structure of the Bombardier Learjet 85 midsize business jet.
01 November 2008 Celanese sizing line Celanese Emulsion Polymers is introducing its JetSize line of natural polymer starch sizings. The products are designed to optimise the production of glass fibre yarns for use in printed circuit boards and glass textile applications.
01 November 2008 COMPOSITES EUROPE 2008 video The COMPOSITES EUROPE 2008 exhibition took place on 23-25 September in Essen, Germany.
01 November 2008 Bamboo used as reinforcement A range of bamboo reinforced polypropylene and biodegradable polylactic acid compounds and mat products has been launched by Transmare Compounding BV.
28 October 2008 Aircraft composites partnership formed Finmeccanica, an Italian aerospace, defence and security company, has entered into an industrial manufacturing partnership for civil aircraft composite parts with Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi, UAE.
24 October 2008 Ashland introduces marine gel-coats A new gel-coat formulation designed to deliver a high level of weathering performance was introduced at the IBEX boat building tradeshow by Ashland Performance Materials. According to Ashland, tests show that its MAXGUARD® NCP series gel-coats retain their gloss longer than typical marine gel-coats.
13 October 2008 GRP panels applied to underground station Qinetiq is modernising Warren Street underground station in London with glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) panels as part of a multi-million pound contract.
06 October 2008 Guidance on FRP concrete reinforcement Three guides on fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) for concrete reinforcement that could help broaden markets for composites use have been released by the American Concrete Institute (ACI).
03 October 2008 Specifications for FRP pedestrian bridges The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has published guide specifications for the design of pedestrian bridges made from FRP composites.
03 October 2008 Corrosion resistant GRP grating launched Strongwell is launching a glass reinforced grating designed to replace 1 inch (˜2.5 cm) steel gratings in corrosive environments such as offshore drilling and production platforms, refineries and chemical plants.
03 October 2008 Ashland teams up with Indian partner Ashland India Pvt Ltd (AIPL), a subsidiary of Ashland Inc, Dublin, Ohio, USA, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Natural Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd (NPPL) of Gujarat, which would allow NPPL to produce Ashland's polyester resins and gel-coats for India.
01 October 2008 Polytec acquires Peguform Polytec Holding AG is acquiring Peguform Group, a leading European supplier of composite parts to the automotive industry, placing Polytec Group in the top 100 suppliers to the global automotive industry.
01 October 2008 GKN acquires Airbus wing operation GKN plc is acquiring Airbus' Filton,UK,aircraft wing component manufacturing and assemblies operation in a deal worth £136 million.
29 September 2008 COMPOSITES EUROPE 2008 shows strong growth The COMPOSITES EUROPE 2008 exhibition in Essen, Germany, attracted 8000 visitors, up from last year’s figure of just over 4100.
20 September 2008 TPI Composites opens US wind blade facility TPI Composites of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, has opened a 316 000 ft2 facility in Newton, Iowa, which will manufacture composite wind turbine blades for the US wind energy market.
19 September 2008 Developing biodegradable natural fibre composites Composite materials for use in creating biodegradable natural fibre reinforced plastics are being developed by COMBINE, a UK-based consortium.
19 September 2008 Composites for concrete rehabilitation Strongwell Corp has published engineering design software for its composite concrete rehabilitation product..
13 August 2008 Spirit wins A350 XWB contract Spirit Aerosystems (Europe) Ltd has signed a contract with Airbus to design and produce the wing leading edge structure of the new A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) aircraft.
01 August 2008 Owens Corning sells two European composites plants Owens Corning says it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its composites manufacturing plants in Birkeland, Norway, and Battice, Belgium, to Platinum Equity, a mergers and acquisitions company with headquarters in Beverly Hills, California.
01 July 2008 MFG Galileo completes US radome installation MFG Galileo Composites has completed its installation of four 48 ft composite radomes at the US Air Force’s Cape Canaveral, Kwajalein, Diego Garcia, and Ascension Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF ground stations.
18 June 2008 Composite materials in subsea structures Scott Bader is supplying gel-coats and polyester resin to Sörkomp of Norway for the production of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) subsea structures.
05 June 2008 METYX Composites and Alcan sign distribution agreement Reinforcements supplier METYX Composites has become an exclusive distributor of Alcan Airex core materials in Turkey. METYX also plans to invest in a core material conversion facility at its new factory being built in 2009.
01 June 2008 Spirit wins A350 XWB fuselage contract Spirit Aerosystems Inc has signed a contract with Airbus to design and produce the Section 15 centre fuselage frame section for the new A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) long-range passenger aircraft.
01 June 2008 Tidal turbine features composite rotors Installation of a 1.2 MW tidal power turbine is currently underway on the seabed of the fast flowing waters of Strangford Narrows, Northern Ireland. The SeaGen turbine developed by Marine Current Turbines Ltd (MCT), Bristol, UK, features two 8 m long composite rotor blades.
05 May 2008 High Modulus targets Chinese business Composites technology and structural engineering company High Modulus has opened an office in Qingdao, China, and established a joint venture agreement with Chinese distributor Sino Composites.
05 May 2008 METYX Composites expands headquarters Reinforcements supplier METYX Composites is expanding its headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, in order to meet the needs of its growing customer base.
01 April 2008 COMPOSITES EUROPE joins forces with ALUMINIUM With around 1000 exhibitors expected, the ALUMINIUM and COMPOSITES EUROPE trade shows aim to form the perfect event for the world of lightweight construction materials in 2008.
01 March 2008 Emirates orders composite cabin crew trainers Emirates airline has awarded a US$8.8 million contract to Spatial Composite Solutions, a Dubai-based manufacturer of crew training equipment for the civil aviation and aerospace industries.
30 January 2008 Turkish yacht builder selects Scott Bader products Alen Yachting of Istanbul, Turkey, has specified Scott Bader's Crystic adhesive products for the production of its new Metaphor 68 luxury yacht.
02 January 2008 Ahlstrom doubles US production of speciality reinforcements Finland's Ahlstrom group has announced plans to double its production capacity for speciality glass fibre reinforcements in the USA.
18 December 2007 Hexcel supplies carbon fibre to American Centrifuge Uranium plant employs carbon fibre Hexcel Corp has reached an agreement with USEC Inc and Alliant Techsystems Inc to supply carbon fibre for USEC's American Centrifuge Plant (ACP) for the enrichment of uranium for commercial nuclear power reactors.
01 October 2007 Owens Corning sells CFM business to AGY Owens Corning has signed an agreement to sell its continuous filament mat (CFM) business in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA, as well as related marble production assets in Anderson, South Carolina, to AGY.
01 October 2007 Owens Corning emerges from Chapter 11 Glass fibre producer Owens Corning has announced its emergence from Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code.
01 November 2006 Successful launch for COMPOSITES EUROPE The new trade fair COMPOSITES EUROPE was success-fully launched in Germany, last month, attracting more than 3700 visitors and around 200 exhibitors.
01 November 2006 Owens Corning and Saint-Gobain plan merger of reinforcements businesses Owens Corning, Toledo, Ohio, USA, and Saint-Gobain, Paris, France, have announced that they are in discussions to merge Owens Corning's Reinforcements business and Saint-Gobain's Reinforcement and Composites businesses (part of the Vetrotex group).
01 August 2006 Associations support COMPOSITES EUROPE Thirteen European composites associations are supporting COMPOSITES EUEROPE, the new trade show taking place on 20-22 September in Essen, Germany.
01 May 2006

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