News for January 2011

News Archive

Interplastic launches Integrity marine gel-coat

Interplastic Corporation is introducing its new Integrity™ high performance gel-coat developed for use above and below the waterline in marine applications.

China: 248 GW of wind power in 2010

China is expected to have reached a total installed wind power capacity of 248 GW in 2020 representing a compound annual growth rate of almost 23%.

Huber announces price increase for flame retardants and smoke suppressants

Huber Engineered Materials has announced a price increase for its tan alumina trihydrate (ATH) and magnesium hydroxide (MDH) grades.

Vestas opens wind office in Romanian capital

Vestas has opened an office in Bucharest to serve the wind energy market in Romania and the Balkan region.

Last week's top 3 stories

The following stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website last week.

Chinese wind turbine blade producer GL certified

Chinese wind turbine blade producer, Tianjin Dongqi Wind Turbine Blade Co Ltd has been awarded GL Shop Approval from GL Renewables Certification for composite wind turbine blades production.

Lincoln Composites wins composite tank order from Vietnam Lincoln Composites wins composite tank order from Vietnam

Lincoln Composites has signed a US$1.4 contract with PV Gas City of Vietnam for the supply of 40 ft TITAN™ high-pressure composite tanks and storage modules.

Structural Composites boat technology wins Florida grant

Structural Composites has been awarded US$245 000 through a Florida grant programme to boost its lightweight boat technology.

Allianz invests over €1bn in wind and solar power

Allianz has invested over €1 billion in 30 wind farms and solar parks in Germany, France and Italy since 2005.

NIAR and Dassault Systèmes partner to foster innovation in aviation composites

Dassault Systèmes, a supplier of 3D and product lifecycle management (PLM) software, has announced an expanded partnership with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) to promote innovation and advanced use of composite materials in the aerospace industry.

Reinforced Plastics' JEC preview - call for information

The March/April issue of Reinforced Plastics magazine is publishing a preview of the JEC Composites Show. Is your company exhibiting?

aerodyn qualifies PPG's HYBON 2026 glass fibre for blades

PPG Industries has announced the qualification of its HYBON(® 2026 direct glass fibre roving for use in selected fabrics and epoxy resin systems of aerodynBlade 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5-MW wind turbine blades from aerodyn Energiesysteme GmbH.

Global energy industry down, renewable energy up

The potential investment value of new power projects globally fell 53% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2010 compared to Q3, according to the EIC Monitor, whereas renewable energy projects have seen growth in number of projects and potential investment value.

Europe import duties of 13.8% on Chinese glass fibre likely to go ahead

According to the European Composites Industry Association ( EuCIA), the European Commission is proposing definitive import duties of 13.8% on glass fibre products from China to be imposed from 17 March 2011 for a period of 5 years, if agreed by the Council of the European Union next month.

Carbon fibre use increasing in the automotive industry Carbon fibre use increasing in the automotive industry

The use of carbon fibre composites in automotive applications is increasing as vehicle lightweighting becomes increasingly important.

WFES 2011: Renewable energy opportunities in developing world

There is a positive investment outlook for renewable energy in fast developing countries such as India, China, Brazil and the MENA region, according to discussions at the World Future Energy Summit 2011.

Daimler and Toray establish joint venture for manufacture of carbon fibre parts

Japanese carbon fibre producer Toray Industries Inc and German automotive company Daimler AG have announced a joint venture for manufacturing and marketing of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) automotive parts.

Hull to host Siemens offshore wind turbine factory

Siemens has signed an agreement with Associated British Ports to build a factory for offshore wind turbines in Hull, UK.

Gamesa still no. 1 wind turbine provider in Spain

Gamesa maintains its number one position in the Spanish wind market with a 2010 market share of 50.18% – an increase from 2009’s 34.4%.

Last week's top 3 stories Last week's top 3 stories

The following stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website last week.

New pre-standard for pultruded composites will expand markets

The publication of a new pre-standard for pultruded fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) structures is good news for the composites industry according to the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA).

Gamesa offshore wind technology centre to Scotland

Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa plans to set up its offshore wind technology centre in Glasgow, Scotland, creating 130 jobs.

Standard for damage resistance of sandwich constructions

ASTM International Committee D30 on Composite Materials is currently developing a proposed new standard, ASTM WK30231, Practice for Damage Resistance Testing of Sandwich Constructions, which will be the first industry standard to cover this topic.

Anaconda wave energy device closer to commercialisation

Checkmate Seaenergy Ltd has appointed Brewin Dolphin to lead an initial funding round to finance the development of the Anaconda Wave Energy Converter.

Automotive market on road to recovery

The US automotive industry is on track for recovery and new vehicle sales in China are booming. In Europe, the picture is not quite so promising, although some companies are registering good growth.

Lincoln Composites wins Malaysian tank contract

Hexagon Composites' Lincoln Composites business has signed a contract with Sime Darby Sdn. Bhd. of Malaysia for the supply of TITAN™ high-pressure composite tanks and storage modules.

Gamesa supplies 20 MW of wind turbines to Turkey

Gamesa will supply 20 MW of wind turbines to Kiroba Elektrik Uretim for the Madranbaba wind farm in Aydin, Turkey.

Europe close to 3 GW offshore wind power Europe close to 3 GW offshore wind power

Europe is now close to 3 GW of installed offshore wind power capacity, according to numbers from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Brazil's Aguz Marine launches Italian designed motorboats Brazil's Aguz Marine launches Italian designed motorboats

Aguz Marine of Brazil is manufacturing motorboats designed by Ferragni & Tollini Yacht Design of Italy.

Boeing delays 787 first delivery to third quarter 2011

Boeing has announced today that it expects delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner aircraft in the third quarter of this year.

Natural Power Assesses Alaskan Wind Farm

Natural Power has delivered energy yield and site assessment studies for a proposed wind farm in Alaska for Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA).

Proposed standard to aid prediction of composites delamination

A proposed new ASTM International standard will aid in the prediction of delamination propagation.

People

Reagan Stephens joins Interplastic Corporation; FORMAX appoints Daniel Ames as Technical Sales Director and Rob Wilder as Sales and Marketing Director.

COMPOSITES EUROPE 2011

The COMPOSITES EUROPE 2011 trade fair and forum for composite materials, technology and applications will take place on 27-29 September in Stuttgart, Germany. The AVK Conference is again being held alongside the exhibition.

Production resumes at Skykon's Scottish wind turbine factory

The wind turbine factory in Machrihanish in Argyll has resumed production after parent company Skykon filed for bankruptcy.

Toray to build carbon fibre plant in Korea

Toray Industries Inc of Japan and its subsidiary Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc (TAK) are to build a plant for mass production of carbon fibre in the Republic of Korea.

Advanced Composites Group joins BLOODHOUND SSC team Advanced Composites Group joins BLOODHOUND SSC team

Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG) is providing composite materials, tooling, and design and manufacturing services to the BLOODHOUND SSC (supersonic car) project, which is aiming to set a new land speed record of 1000 mph.

MAG introduces fibre cutting machine MAG introduces fibre cutting machine

MAG has developed a fibre cutting and dosing machine for composites applications.

JETCAM signs Vigsent as distributor for aerospace sector in Korea

JETCAM International has appointed Vigsent as a distributor for its range of CAD CAM software to the aerospace market in Korea.

Bureau Veritas guidance for floating offshore wind turbines

Bureau Veritas has issued guidelines for the classification and certification of floating offshore wind turbines specifying the environmental conditions under which they may serve.

REpower delivers 150 wind turbines to Canadian wind farm

REpower Systems AG will deliver 54 of its MM82 wind turbines and 96 MM92 units to Saint-Laurent Énergies Consortium (SLE) for the 300 MW Lac Alfred wind farm in Québec, Canada.

Last week's top 3 stories Last week's top 3 stories

The following stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website last week.

Interplastic announces price increase

Interplastic Corporation’s Thermoset Resins Division is raising the price of its CoREZYN® and Silmar® brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel-coats, colorants and putties from 5 February 2011.

Automated Dynamics achieves AS9100 certification

Automated Dynamics, a manufacturer of advanced composite structures and high performance composite processing equipment, has completed registration to AS9100, the quality management system for the aerospace industry.

Spirit reaches agreement with Boeing on 787 programme

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc has announced that it has reached an agreement with Boeing regarding certain claims associated with the development and production of the 787-8 aircraft in December 2010.

India to build Asia's first commercial tidal power plant India to build Asia's first commercial tidal power plant

Asia's first commercial tidal power plant will be built in the Indian state of Gujarat with an initial 50 MW capacity.

AGY launches E-glass sizing for aerospace industry

AGY is introducing new direct sizing system for E-glass yarns. It is initially available on AGY’s DE75 yarn which is used primarily in aerospace fabrics.

Gamesa expands further into US with Arizona contract

The wind turbine manufacturer will supply a total of 10 MW of capacity for a project being developed by Western Wind Energy Corporation for UniSource Electric Inc. in Kingman, Arizona.

AOC announces price increase for North America

AOC LLC will increase the prices of all its polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel-coats, pigment and additive products in the USA and Canada from 4 February.

AMSC agrees sixth wind turbine licence in China

American Superconductor Association (AMSC) has granted its sixth wind turbine licence in China to Beijing JINGCHENG New Energy (JCNE).

Firehole Composites opens Seattle office

Software and engineering services provider Firehole Composites is opening a satellite office in Seattle, Washington.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Approved in San Diego Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Approved in San Diego

San Diego has approved its first vertical axis wind turbine with a 3.4 kW Falcon wind turbine from WePOWER being constructed at a private property in San Diego county, CA.

BOREAS buys 19 Vestas wind turbines

Vestas will deliver 19 of its V90 2 MW wind turbines with a hub height of 125 m to BOREAS Energie GmbH for a 38 MW wind project in Germany.

JEC Americas to launch in 2012

The JEC Group is launching JEC Americas in 2012, co-locating the composites show with the Industrial Fabrics Association International's IFAI Expo Americas 2012 exhibition.

Toho Tenax supplies carbon fibre for Metal Mate CNG tanks Toho Tenax supplies carbon fibre for Metal Mate CNG tanks

Toho Tenax Co Ltd has annnounced an agreement to supply TENAX® carbon fibre for compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks manufactured by Metal Mate Co Ltd in Thailand.

GE supplies 18 wind turbines to Northern France

GW will supply 18 wind turbines for a new project in one of France's most windy areas.

Empire State Building Goes Green

The Empire State Building, NY, is going green by purchasing 100% renewable energy from Green Mountain Energy Company.

Nordex installs wind turbines in Hamburg Nordex installs wind turbines in Hamburg

Nordex has installed two 2.5 MW N100/2500 wind turbines at Dradenau sewage treatment plant in Hamburg, Germany.

SAERTEX to support Bombardier aircraft programmes

The SAERTEX® group is to supply high-performance multiaxial and unidirectional reinforcements for use in Bombardier Aerospace's CSeries and Learjet 85 aircraft.

DONG Energy and Siemens to test offshore wind turbines

Siemens Wind Power will supply DONG Energy with three new offshore wind turbines as part of a £50 million project.

RWE Innogy acquires two new wind farms in Poland

RWE Innogy has more than doubled its wind capacity in Poland following the purchase of Gamesa's 32 MW Piecki wind farm and the 35 MW Tychowo site.

Reichhold inrceases resin prices in North America

Reichhold Inc is increasing prices of all unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in North America for the composites industry from 1 February 2011.

People

Appointments at Owens Corning, and Strongwell.

ACG launches new tooling prepreg

Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG) is launching an autoclave tooling prepreg system offering thermal cycling capability up to 200ºC.

Last week's top 3 stories

The following stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website last week.

Southwest Windpower Unveils Small Wind Turbine

Southwest Windpower has unveiled its newest and most efficient small wind turbine, Skystream 600.

Premier Composite Technologies to launch FARR 400 Premier Composite Technologies to launch FARR 400

Premier Composite Technologies (PCT) and Farr Yacht Design are collaborating to design and build a carbon composite, One Design, 40 ft racing yacht.

Åmliden wind farm in Sweden to start construction

NV Nordisk Vindkraft AB and HgCapital have signed agreements for the sale, construction and financing of the 41 MW Åmliden wind farm in Malå Municipality, Västerbotten, Sweden.

REpower reduces 2011 outlook – looks to Asia

REpower Systems AG has reduced its outlook for 2011 now expecting performance of €1.25-1.35 billion from the previous estimate of €1.5-1.6bn.

Spatial Composite Solutions wins Virgin America cabin service trainer contract

Spatial Composite Solutions of Dubai has been awarded a contract to design, build and install an Airbus A320 Cabin Service Trainer at Virgin America’s headquarters in Burlingame, California.

Vestas delivers 21 MW of wind turbines to German wind farm Vestas delivers 21 MW of wind turbines to German wind farm

Vestas will deliver 7 of its V112 3 MW wind turbines to Erneubare Energien Teetzleben GmbH & Co KG for the 21 MW Breesen-Teetzleben Wind Farm in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

XZERES Wind Expands Into Europe

Small wind manufacturer XZERES Wind Corporation has opened its European Subsidiary, XZERES Wind Europe Ltd, along with its first European order to be delivered to the UK marketplace.

LISA Airplanes’ AKOYA uses ACG prepregs LISA Airplanes’ AKOYA uses ACG prepregs

French aircraft manufacturer LISA Airplanes is using VTM®260 Series prepregs and complementary products from Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG) to manufacture composite parts for its AKOYA pleasure/business aircraft.

Renewable energy meets quarter of Scottish electricity

Renewable energy met 27.4% of electricity demand in Scotland in 2009, according to Government statistics on renewable energy generation.

RES consent for 99 MW Dunmaglass Wind Farm, Scotland

RES has received consent from the Scottish Government to build the 99 MW Dunmaglass Wind Farm south of Inverness, Scotland.

EU to exceed 20% renewable energy by 2020

The EU could exceed its 20% renewable energy target by 2020, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Premix and Quantum Composites acquired by investment firms

US investment firms Highlander Partners, L.P. and Capstone Capital Partners have acquired Premix Inc and its subsidiary Quantum Composites Inc.

AWEA: American Wind Power "Surmounted" Challenges in 2010

According to the prominent U.S. wind trade association, the U.S. wind industry continued to make good on its promise to strengthen America, and laid the foundation for a strong return in 2011.

The top 10 Reinforced Plastics stories of 2010 The top 10 Reinforced Plastics stories of 2010

The following articles were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website during 2010.

Vestas delivers 240 MW of wind turbines

Vestas will deliver a total of 240 MW of wind turbines to projects in Germany and Poland over the next two years.

3M acquires Nida-Core

3M has acquired the business of Nida-Core Corp, a US based manufacturer of core materials.

Harper develops carbon fibre process system for Georgia Tech

Harper International has been awarded a project by Georgia Institute of Technology for the production of a university scale carbon fibre thermal processing system.

December's top 3 stories December's top 3 stories

The following stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website during the month of December.