News for September 2012

News Archive

McLaren P1 debuts at Paris Motor Show McLaren P1 debuts at Paris Motor Show

McLaren Automotive has unveiled its new 'supercar,' the McLaren P1, at the Paris Motor Show. It car features a carbon fibre composite monocoque and lightweight carbon ‘multi-purpose’ body panels.

Vestas launches new turbine with structural shell blade design

The new V126-3.0 MW turbine is the latest variant of the 3 MW platform on which the V112-3.0 MW is built.

Federal officials urged to accelerate the development of offshore wind in the US

A report looking into the sector's development to date claims that more could be done to encourage clean local energy and economic development by implementing critical policies to encourage investment.

EWEA report advocates the creation of single European energy market

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) argues that EU electricity market rules must reflect the energy generation mix of the future

MTorres acquires Pacifica Engineering

Spanish process automation specialist MTorres and US tool design and engineering company Pacifica Engineering Inc have signed an agreement under which MTorres will acquire 100% of Pacifica's shares.

Umeco exhibits UBC bike at COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Umeco exhibits UBC bike at COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012

Umeco will be exhibiting UBC’s Coren® urban bike with composite frame at the COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 trade show in Düsseldorf in October.

'Halo' sculpture relies on composites 'Halo' sculpture relies on composites

Gurit's structural engineering team helped in the realisation of 'Halo', a wind-activated kinetic sculpture now installed in Central Park, Sydney, Australia.

Hexcel opens Spanish prepreg plant extension

Hexcel has officially opened an extension to its prepreg plant in Parla, Spain. This doubles capacity at the facility in order to support increasing build rates for the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and other programmes.

Volkswagen Golf GTi 'Carbon' edition planned Volkswagen Golf GTi 'Carbon' edition planned

According to reports in the automotive press, a limited-run lightweight Volkswagen Golf featuring carbon fibre composite and aluminium could be launched in 2014 to celebrate the Golf's 40th anniversary.

Growth for the German wind market but challenges ahead

The substantial growth experienced by the German wind energy industry last year was followed by a stable upwards trend on the home market in the first six months of this year, confirms a recent manufacturer survey conducted by Deutsche WindGuard on behalf of German wind energy association, Bundesverband WindEnergie (BWE) and VDMA Power Systems.

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.

Momentive to increase price of epoxy resins in Europe

Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc is raising prices for its base epoxy products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa Region.

Interplastic announces SMC price increase

Interplastic Corporation’s Molding Products Division has announced a price increase for its sheet moulding compound (SMC) products.

Integran awarded patent for vacuum-tight nanometal coating Integran awarded patent for vacuum-tight nanometal coating

Integran Technologies Inc has been awarded patent protection for its vacuum-tight electroplated nanometal coating for thermoplastic and composite parts.

Owens Corning boosts glass reinforcement production in Mexico

Owens Corning's new furnace at its glass reinforcements facility in Tlaxcala, Mexico, is now operational, more than doubling production capacity at the plant.

Assembly of Bombardier CSeries test airframe underway Assembly of Bombardier CSeries test airframe underway

Bombardier Aerospace has announced that the assembly of the test airframe for its CSeries aircraft is underway at its Experimental Test Facility in St-Laurent, Québec.

Husum Wind 2012: juwi boss slams German government for energy policy backtrack and offshore wind support Husum Wind 2012: juwi boss slams German government for energy policy backtrack and offshore wind support

juwi CEO Matthias Willenbacher has criticised the German government for backtracking on its energy revolution agenda and looking to slow it down on the basis of cost.

SP-High Modulus opens new head office in Auckland

SP-High Modulus, the marine business of Gurit, a specialist in composite materials and structural engineering services, officially opening its new Asia Pacific head office and manufacturing facility in Auckland, New Zealand.

AOC announces price increase for Europe

AOC LLC has announced a price increase for all products sold in Europe.

Joint initiative launched to develop Germany’s green economy

Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Research, and Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Environment have invited 450 experts to discuss how market instruments could be used to achieve sustainable production, pricing and consumption.

Husum Wind 2012: Garrad Hassan report bullish about Baltic offshore wind

The development of offshore wind resources will be "vital for many of the Baltic nations, as they look to meet their commitments to boost renewable energy generation", reports Garrad Hassan.

CCP Composites plans new North American gel-coat facility

CCP Composites is planning to add a new gel-coat manufacturing facility in North America.

Reichhold announces resin price increase for Europe

Reichhold has announced a price increase on unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, gel-coats and bonding pastes for the European composites industry.

Husum Wind 2012: AREVA Wind showcases space-saving Single Blade Installation (SBI) system Husum Wind 2012: AREVA Wind showcases space-saving Single Blade Installation (SBI) system

The organisation says it is the first offshore turbine manufacturer to enable the installation of blades on the hub in all positions up to 330 degrees, and at wind speeds up to 12 m/s.

Associated Industries becomes Henkel Aerospace distributor

US composites industry distributor Associated Industries has become an approved Henkel distributor.

Commercial vehicle industry under pressure to globalise and consolidate

The current slump in sales of commercial vehicles globally can be found above all in Western Europe, Brazil and China, and overall, the industry is likely to see a continuation of its descent after its record-breaking performance in recent years, according to AlixPartners.

Ashland increases resin prices for Europe

Ashland Performance Materials is increasing the prices of its epoxy vinyl ester resins, unsaturated polyester resins and gel-coats sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

North Sea Boats completes carbon composite 'stealth' trimaran North Sea Boats completes carbon composite 'stealth' trimaran

North Sea Boats Ltd has launched a new 63 m carbon fibre composite trimaran destined for the Indonesian Navy.

Gurit and Hawart collaborate on wind turbine blade mould and transport systems

Composite materials supplier Gurit and HAWART Sondermaschinenbau GmbH have agreed to cooperate in the production of mould and transport systems for wind turbine blades.

Japan becomes third largest solar power market

In 2011, Japan accounted for 7% of total installed PV capacity, according to a new research report.

Last week's top stories

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

Momentive unveils fast curing epoxy for automotive composites production

Momentive Specialty Chemicals is introducing a new epoxy system to speed up production of carbon fibre composites for structural automotive components by resin transfer moulding (RTM).

Premium AEROTEC highlights role in military aircraft construction Premium AEROTEC highlights role in military aircraft construction

As well as being a strong partner to the civil aviation industry, Premium AEROTEC has important roles in the Eurofighter combat aircraft and the A400M military transport aircraft.

Sigmatex awarded aerospace standard

Carbon fibre converter Simatex's facilities in the UK and US have been awarded the AS9100 Revision C quality standard for the aerospace market.

Premium AEROTEC and Boeing demonstrate carbon composite wing concept Premium AEROTEC and Boeing demonstrate carbon composite wing concept

Premium AEROTEC has developed a carbon fibre composite wing spar with a sinewave-shaped web in a two-year project with Boeing.

Tygavac announces expansion Tygavac announces expansion

Tygavac Advanced Materials Ltd, part of vacuum bagging and composite tooling materials supplier Airtech Advanced Materials Group, will be moving to a new facility in early 2013.

LANXESS acquires Bond- Laminates

Speciality chemicals company LANXESS has acquired German company Bond- Laminates GmbH to strengthening its portfolio of lightweight materials for the automotive industry.

Armacell and Sino Composite sign PET cores distribution agreement for China

Belgium company Armacell Benelux SA and Sino Composite Co Ltd of China have signed a long-term agreement to jointly sell and distribute ArmaFORM PET foam core materials in China.

New wind power turbine unveiled for Brazil market

GE has installed 300 wind turbines in Brazil to date, a figure set to triple over the next two years, the firm announced at the Brazil Windpower Conference in Rio de Janeiro recently.

First A350 XWB wing arrives in Toulouse for ground tests First A350 XWB wing arrives in Toulouse for ground tests

The first wing for the A350 XWB has arrived at Airbus’ final assembly line in Toulouse, France, where the new Airbus wide-body aircraft is being assembled.

Owens Corning OptiSpray roving available globally

Owens Corning has announced that its OptiSpray™ rovings, designed for spray-up processes in marine, sanitary, swimming pools and transportation applications, are available globally.

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.

Netzsch acquires Bruker’s thermal analysis instruments business in Japan

Netzsch Japan K.K. has acquired Bruker’s thermal analysis instruments business in Japan. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

SWORL and Nexeo Solutions team up

SWORL and Nexeo Solutions have teamed up to provide manufacturers a complete resource for implementing reusable vacuum bags into manufacture of composite parts.

Wind industry urged to adopt a networked approach to deal with slowdown and boost innovation

There needs to be less vertical integration in the wind industry and companies in the sector need to start working together better, according to Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of wind turbine generator supplier The Switch, based in Finland.

Ashland presents Pliogrip adhesives for bonding CFRP at Automechanika 2012

Ashland Performance Materials will present its Pliogrip™ structural adhesives for carbon fibre composite structures and other materials used in the automotive assembly process at Automechanika 2012 in Frankfurt.

M. F. Cachat Company agrees distribution deal

The M. F. Cachat Company has formed a strategic marketing and distribution arrangement with US distributors Associated Industries Inc, Schibley Chemical Company, and Fiberglass Florida Inc, to distribute PCCR USA Inc resins to the composites industry.

AkzoNobel to distribute OM Group's Borchi Oxy Cure accelerators for composites

AkzoNobel and OM Group (OMG) have signed an exclusive worldwide distribution agreement for OMG’s Borchi® Oxy Cure accelerators. The agreement is limited to the curing of unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins in the composite industry.

Owens Corning opens composites centre in Shanghai

Glass fibre reinforcements producer Owens Corning has opened its new China Composites Centre in Shanghai.

Vestas in talks with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has confirmed it is in talks with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries regarding a potential strategic cooperation.

Composite milking platform more durable and faster to install than concrete Composite milking platform more durable and faster to install than concrete

New Zealand company Waikato Milking Systems claims to have manufactured the world’s first composite rotary platform for the dairy industry. It expects the composite platform to have a 25% longer lifespan than concrete versions.

BluCure cobalt-free curing technology launched at China Composites Expo 2012

AkzoNobel and DSM will introduce their BluCure™ cobalt-free curing technology for composite resins at the China Composites Expo in Shanghai.

Gurit extends aerospace prepreg supply contract

Gurit has announced the continuation of supplies of Gurit prepreg materials to an existing aerospace customer for the years 2012 to 2014.

Mikrosam opens Institute for Advanced Composites and Robotics

Mikrosam, a specialist in composite manufacturing processes based in Macedonia, has opened the Institute for Advanced Composites and Robotics (IACR).

Ashland announces price increase for South America

Ashland Performance Materials is increasing South American prices for unsaturated polyester resins, epoxy vinyl ester resins and gel-coats sold into the composites market.

Offshore wind companies invited to comment on UK test and demonstration sites

The Crown Estate is seeking opinions from the offshore wind industry with regard to offshore wind test and demonstration (T&D) sites in UK waters.

Composite Advantage bridge deck installed in Virginia Composite Advantage bridge deck installed in Virginia

Composite Advantage LLC’s FiberSPAN™ fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) bridge deck has been installed on a new three-span steel superstructure at Wolf Creek National Park near Vienna, Virginia, USA.

Blade resin offers best of both worlds Blade resin offers best of both worlds

DSM Composite Resins has developed a new resin which is said to offer wind turbine blade manufacturers the mechanical performance of epoxy resin with the processing advantages of unsaturated polyester resins.

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.

Last month's top 3 stories

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

Teijin showcases carbon and aramid at China Composites Expo 2012

Tokyo-based Toho Tenax Co Ltd, the Teijin Group's carbon fibre business, and Shanghai-based Teijin Aramid Asia Co Ltd, its aramid fibre business, will exhibit at China Composites Expo 2012 in Shanghai.