Every multi-story building constructed today requires a facade. Derived from the French word façade, which in turn came from the Italian facciata, it means “face.” In short, the facade is the exterior, public-facing structure that gives the building its character, color and

Supplier and distributor of automated systems for aircraft construction, Broetje Automation (Rastede, Germany) presents its automated solution for sealing aircraft components. Meant to replace the time-consuming process of manually sealing edges of aircraft parts, the compa

GKN Aerospace (Redditch, U.K.) reported on June 3 that its thermoplastic components, delivered to aerospace manufacturer Bell Flight (Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.) in 2019, were successfully flight-tested on Bell’s V-280 Valor military aircraft. The newly installed components have no

  Engel Austria (Schwertberg, Austria) and its partner Fill (Gurten, Austria) have announced the development of a production line for the manufacture of thermoplastic composite blanks. To efficiently make the semi-finished products from both glass fiber and carbon fib

Inspired by a polycarbonate and aluminum COVID-19 testing booth designed and built by Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, Mass., U.S.) earlier this year, Imagine Fiberglass Products Inc. (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) has developed its own lighter, sturdier version using fiberg

Prepreg supplier Composites Evolution (Chesterfield, U.K.) has expanded its Evoprep EPC component epoxy range with the launch of its variable temperature curing prepreg, Evopreg EPC200. Based on a toughened epoxy resin system, the company says it enables curing between 65°C and 120°C w

For Part 2, read “Composites-intensive masterwork: 2020 Corvette, Part 2”. The much-anticipated eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette (C8) from General Motors Co. (GM, Detroit, Mich., U.S.), which has been generating accolades since its official reveal on July 18, 2019, began comme

Surface treatment — involving some method of treating, abrading or cleaning a part or material surface — can be essential to achieving the necessary properties for successful adhesive bonding, coating or even painting. However, some methods are more effective than ot

Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne, Australia) is establishing an Industry 4.0 Testlab for Composite Additive Manufacturing in partnership with Australia’s National Science Agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, see “Developing highe

Norco (Dorset, Poole, U.K.), manufacturer of large glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) structures, announced on June 23 that the company is supplying RS Electric Boats, sister-company to international maritime company, RS Sailing (Romsey, Southampton, U.K.), with composite c

AZL Aachen GmbH (Aachen, Germany) reported development and implementation of a present project by one of its partner institutes, the Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University (ITA, Aachen, Germany), that incorporates a process chain for the production of quasi-con

On June 26, Scott Bader Co. Ltd. (Wellingborough, U.K.) announced that it has acquired the assets of Summit Composites Pty. Ltd., forming a new division Scott Bader Australia Pty. Ltd. Scott Bader says that Summit Composites has been distributing its high-performance resins, gel coats and

DSM (Heerlen, Netherlands) has launched Trosar, a new thermoplastic fiber product based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Trosar, says DSM, addresses a wider range of high-performance applications than its existing Dyneema product, including soft and hard ballistic arm

Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre (Valencia, Spain), reported on June 9 that its EU-funded RECONTRANS project — developing multi-material thermoplastic parts as a light weight, cost-effective solution for sustainable vehicle design — obtained its first three prototype sa

Tire, construction reinforcement and composites technologies company Kordsa (Izmut, Turkey) has introduced a new line of honeycomb composite sandwich panels for the cabin interior of commercial airplanes. The company’s Composites Center of Excellence (CTCE), founded in 2016, played

The Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University (ITA, Aachen, Germany) has teamed with 17 partner organizations to develop a concept and basic engineering for a hybrid concrete/thermoplastic composite floating structure designed for deep water wind farms. In t

  Composites 4.0 is one small galaxy in the universe of Industry 4.0, which is the digital transformation in how goods and services are designed, produced, delivered, operated, maintained and decommissioned. For composites manufacturing, the goal is to use automation, sensors and d

  Kordsa (Izmut, Turkey) has expanded its thermoplastic prepreg lineup with the release of a woven carbon prepreg with resin matrices of polypropylene or polyamide. Offered as sheets, the products have maximum dimensions of 1.2 by 1.2 meters; the resin systems

Additive manufacturing specialist Arevo (Milpitas, Calif., U.S.) announced on July 13 that it is launching Superstrata, a direct-to-consumer Silicon Valley-based bicycle brand, said to be the world’s first made-to-measure, 3D-printed bicycle with an impact-resistant unibod

Fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) profiles were used to support large terraced balconies that extend over and encircle a large, seawater pool in Laguna Porto Maso, a residential complex in the seaside town of Saint Julian’s, Malta. The client wanted to achieve a modern architectural d