Wind energy market still strong

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:50:09 GMT

While the outlook for the global economy remains uncertain, one industry which looks set to remain strong is wind energy.

A recent http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16536598

Economic predictions for 2012 – world growth will slow

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:56:37 GMT

Market forecasting firm IHS Global Insight has published its economic predictions for 2012, and it's not good news.

World growth will slow in 2012, says IHS chief economist Nariman Behravesh, but the question is, by how much?

...

Food for thought: composites and food contact legislation

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:10:04 GMT

If your company manufactures, designs or distributes plastic products that come into contact with food or drinking water, there is a new European regulation (10/2011) you need to know about. This applies to all unreinforced and reinforced plastics.

What does this mean for you? Join us on ...

Composite aircraft repair

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:59:03 GMT

As Boeing delivers its first 787 Dreamliner and National Composites Centre which officially opens in November.

Part of the UK government’s Zwick Roell's testEXPO event in Germany. This is the 20th annual 'Materials Testing Forum' the company has held and this year it expects around 2000 customers, potential customers and other visito ...

Carbon fibre in the bathroom

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:17:07 GMT

It's certainly true that the applications for carbon composites are continuing to expand. And here's another first – a carbon fibre bath.

M ...

Materials key to meeting fuel efficiency regulations

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:05:45 GMT

Environmental regulations calling for increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions are influencing the design of almost every vehicle com ...

July/August issue published

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:41:38 GMT

The July/August issue of Reinforced Plastics magazine has just been published.

NACE’s website shows items listing pipe ruptures (and resulting product spills) and corroded bridge structures where public safety is a critical concern.

According to ...

BMW and Premium AEROTEC showcase carbon composites technology

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:55:38 GMT

Just returned from a trip to Germany to visit BMW's Landshut production plant and Premium AEROTEC's Augsburg facility. The visits were organised by the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade show, where both companies will be exhibiting on 27-29 Se ...

Carbon fibre collaborations multiplying

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:57:52 GMT

The production of carbon fibre has traditionally been dominated by a few companies – predominately the Japanese firms Toray, Mitsubishi and Teijin. Now, with excellent prospects fo ...

May/June issue published

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:29:50 GMT

The May/June issue of Reinforced Plastics magazine will be published this week.

In addition to all the latest applications, business and technology news this issue contains the following features:

Reinforced Plastics, these are questions I am often asked by composites ...

Composites: recycling and sustainability

Thu, 05 May 2011 10:31:40 GMT

Composites can be recycled ... That was the conclusion of the delegates at EuCIA's Information Day on 4 May, entitled Competitive Composites: Sustainability & Recycling Challenges.

The event took place at the European Parlia ...

JEC 2011 – black and green

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:38:30 GMT

And so another JEC show comes to an end and a number of themes stand out.

There were numerous carbon fibre products and applications on display (the black) and a big focus on sustainability (the green).

Automotive composi ...

Japan disaster: Recovery 'could take five years' (BBC news)

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:38:04 GMT

Japan may need up to 5 years to rebuild from the earthquake and tsunami that has caused up to $235 billion (£145 billion) of damage, according to a World Bank report.

It also estimates about 0.5% was shaved from the country's economic growth this year, but expects growth to pick up ...

Japan disaster

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:19:56 GMT

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last Friday, our thoughts go out to our friends and colleagues in the country.

March/April issue published

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:44:40 GMT

The March/April issue of Reinforced Plastics magazine will be published this week.

Optimism at COMPOSITES 2011

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:53:41 GMT

The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) says nearly 3000 people attended its COMPOSITES 2011 trade show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week.

Visitor numbers may have been down as a result of snow storms across ...

Economic predictions for 2011

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:23 GMT

As we start 2011, economic analysts are offering their predictions for the year.

According to IHS Global Insight’s top 10 economic predictions for 2011, a two-speed recovery is likely to be a feature of the global economy throughout 2011 ...

2010 – is the composites industry picking up?

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:19:02 GMT

The last issue of the magazine for 2010 has just gone to print. Has it been a better year for the composites industry than 2009? In general, it would seem so.

Looking back through this year’s news, there are certainly several markets where activity is good:

wind e ...

Not all supercars are taking the composites route

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:42:14 GMT

While an increasing number of car makers are looking at using composites in their future models, Jaguar is sticking with aluminium.

At t ...

COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010: the good news

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:56:00 GMT

COMPOSITES EUROPE got off to an optimistic start with the latest statistics from AVK (the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics) predicting European production of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) in 2010 will be approximately ...

COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:17:46 GMT

The COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010 trade show takes place on 14-16 September in Essen, Germany.

COMPOSITES EUROPE is now in its fifth year. The exhibition is organised by Reed Exhibitions, supported by the European composites industry association EuC ...

Solar powered transport and composites

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:49:52 GMT

Fossil fuels still account for the vast majority of the world’s energy consumption, but the search for pollution-free, sustainable alternatives is stepping up considerably. In the transport sector, where environmental pressures are high, a number of alternatives to petrol and diesel are in ...

Cars and carbon fibre

Thu, 20 May 2010 10:26:03 GMT

The use of carbon fibre composites in cars is gaining momentum as both BMW and Mercedes Benz further plans to use the material in their vehicles.

BMW announced a joint venture with German carbon fibre producer

Optimism and innovation at JEC 2010

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:15:54 GMT

This year's JEC will probably be best remembered for the travel chaos which ensued on the last day following closure of European air space due to volcanic ash from Iceland. But this year's event should also be remembered for its decidedly more upbeat atm ...

Greener cars = more composites?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:16:15 GMT

Reports from the Geneva motor show taking place this week have highlighted the launch of numerous 'green' cars. It seems that most of the major players have been showcasing their take on an electric or a hybrid model, alongside a number of smaller compan ...

Emerging markets offer best opportunities for composites in construction

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:26:12 GMT

The construction industry is the biggest user of composite materials, and the potential for further growth is substantial. In a presentation at the ACMA's Composites 2010 show last week, Norman Timmins, Director of Consulting at Lucintel, outlined the opportu ...

Composites 2010: everyone's talking about ...

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:04:58 GMT

In my conversations at the show, the three following topics were top of the agenda.

1. When will the recovery start?
Not surprisingly, everyone was talking about the global economy and asking when business would pick up. Although the outlook for the future growth o ...

Composites 2010: cautious optimism

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:03:12 GMT

Exhibitors at Composites 2010 are generally upbeat about the prospects for the US composites industry over the next few years.

Ted Harris, President of Ashland Performance Materials, is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about 2010, saying that there ...

Composites 2010: US industry to grow

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:41:01 GMT

The first day of the Composites 2010 event in a grey and rainy Las Vegas started with an upbeat presentation on the future of the US composites industry by business analyst Ray MacNeil.

The US composites industry has been hit hard since late 2007, he ...

Composites 2010: updates from the show

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:52:20 GMT

The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA)'s Composites 2010 conference and exhibition takes place in Las Vegas next week. The

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