Introducing the September/October issue of Reinforced Plastics magazine
COMPOSITES EUROPE 2014 is open for business from 7-9 October at Messe Düsseldorf in Germany. The organisers say that the event is likely to attract record numbers in what is now its ninth year. Around 440 exhibitors from 25 countries are attending and the event will run alongside the international trade show ALUMINIUM, giving a combined total of 1400 exhibitors.
COMPOSITES EUROPE is also run alongside the International AVK Conference, being held from 6-7 October.
Innovation is promised to be at the heart of the gathering in Düsseldorf and there are likely to be many interesting developments in composites that we look forward to bringing you in forthcoming issues. In the meantime our show preview (starting on page 18) gives you an introduction to what is going to be on offer.
As COMPOSITES EUROPE's media partner we are pleased to be able to offer our readers free entrance tickets to the show. Find out more here.
Recycling, repair, and more
Recycling of composites is a topic that will continue to increase in importance. However, a major barrier has been the lack of recycling facilities. Starting on page 32, composite industry consultant Stella Job rounds up the current state of the commercial composites recycling industry.
Composite patches are an increasingly attractive option to repair aircraft structures, both composite and metallic. However, a major problem has been the speed of the process to do this. On pages 40-44 George Marsh reports on some the techniques that are being looked at to solve this issue.
Elsewhere, we have a feature from General Lasertronics Corporation. The organisation has been involved in a project to examine the degree to which laser surface preparation of composite materials can enhance the repeatability and fracture toughness of adhesive bonds, compared with conventional abrasive-plus-solvent wipe processes. See pages 46-51.
Finally, on pages 52-53 SAERTEX USA highlights the advantages of 3D non-crimp fabrics for composite structures.
Sign in to your account on ReinforcedPlastics.com to view the September/October issue, or complete the registration form. ♦
