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Aircraft engines have traditionally been the domain of metal but aero engine manufacturers are now saving substantial weight by using composites in the fan
The SEC recently approved US regulations that will oblige certain companies to find out where their tantalum, tin, gold or tungsten comes from. Metal Powde
January was a long time ago! Recall the highs and lows of 2012 with Metal Powder Report - and reflect on what's in store for 2013.
The maintenance of equipment such as autoclaves and presses is vital to the safe and efficient running of a production plant. UK company AIC specialises in
Here we take a look at some recent research papers published in Elsevier's journals.
Much has been said in political circles about the paucity of investment of resources, research and, yes, dollars toward the development of technologies to
In this highly informative piece, technicians from Anderson Laboratories effectively demonstrate how accepted corrosion testing procedures can help operato
Philipp Angst, Director Product Management, 3A Composites Core Materials, discusses a new surface sealing technology for PET core materials which reduces r
Carbon fibre composites are well established in limited-edition cars. The development of materials and processes to enable their use in high volume vehicle
Research disclosed at the PowderMet 2012 show in Nashville provides evidence that PM can indeed hold its own against malleable iron, ductile iron, and comp
The article outlines the objectives of the European project HIVOCOMP (Advanced materials enabling high-volume road transport applications of lightweight st
The composites market in Turkey is expected to increase by 50% over the next five years, reports the Turkish Composites Manufacturers Association.
Kenneth J A Brookes, consultant editor, looks at the relationship between the overall economy and raw materials used in the production of hardmetal tooling
The figures in the following charts are taken from the German federation of reinforced plastics AVK's 2012 market survey of the European GRP market.
Total GRP production in Europe in 2012 will fall slightly compared to last year according to the latest statistics from the German federation of reinforced
This GKN Aerospace presentation describes how carbon composite winglets can reduce an aircraft's fuel useage by 3-4%.
Ramesh Kymal, chairman & managing director of Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spain's Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica SA, tal
Part 1. Energy-starved India is becoming a vibrant market for renewable energy. This bodes well for a country that has often seen its industrial and econom
The continued development of offshore wind farms has created a growing market for support boats to transfer personnel and equipment to the turbines. We see
Read how student engineers reduced a race car’s weight by 10% via the use of laser-sintered titanium, inconel and alumide.
America's wind industry recently marked a landmark achievement: 50GW of installed capacity. But the jubilation was short lived.
The Composites Engineering Show 2012 takes place in Birmingham, UK, on 7-8 November. In this preview we look at what some of the exhibitors will be present
White House officials have reported that a new additive manufacturing (AM) institute is to open in Youngstown, Ohio, USA. The move is part of President Oba
German reinforced plastics association AVK presented its 2012 Innovation Awards to six winners during its annual conference in Düsseldorf.
John Durkee, Metal Finishing’s ‘Cleaning Times’ columnist, views the use of ultrasonic transducers as both ‘black art’ and ‘pure science.’
Liz Nickels reports from Basel, Switzerland, on this year’s EPMA show.
This feature discusses how the reliable characterisation of composite materials ensures safety and increases the efficiency of wind turbines.
The annual PM Design Excellence competition sponsored by MPIF continues to attract increasing numbers of prize-worthy candidate parts. The twenty entries s
While prepregs have speeded up the composite process and improved quality and consistency, acquiring and operating large autoclaves is very costly and thei
In-depth article addresses the fundamental questions related to setting up—and analyzing—a spray booth system.
Dr James McCall, from NuvoSci Consulting, reviews what he considers to be the strongest collection of presentations concerning lubrication and delubricatio
Albeit from a small starting point, Ukraine could quickly become a renewable energy market to be reckoned with if certain policy uncertainties are overcome
The McLaren P1 features a carbon fibre composite monocoque and lightweight carbon ‘multi-purpose’ body panels.
Airbus describes its Concept Plane as an 'engineer's dream,' illustrating the technologies being explored to meet the future needs of air transportation.
Airbus' Global Market Forecast for 2012-2031 states that air passenger traffic will grow at an average annual rate of 4.7% in the next 20 years, during whi
Roxana McMican, Research Applications Chemist in Michelman Inc’s Fibres and Composites Group, discusses the role that sizing of glass reinforcements plays
Barbara and Ed Kanegsberg, authors of the new "On the Surface" section in Metal Finishing magazine, give readers a "heads-up" about Federal EPA changes in
Technical terms frequently encountered in the fibre reinforced plastic composites industry.
This technique is widely used for high performance mouldings such as for aerospace applications.
Leslie Flott, author of Metal Finishing’s “Quality Control” column, offers the latest in his series on manufacturing process management tools.
Connora Technologies is currently commercialising its Recyclamine™ epoxy hardener series which the company claims can enable both fibre and resin to be rec
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.
It's a logical step. Automotive companies need composites to help reduce the weight of their vehicles. Composites suppliers want to get more of their produ
Good times are back for the North American PM Industry, says Joe Capus, contributing editor, who reports on presentations from Matthew Bulger, the new pres
Today’s rail vehicles use composites widely in their interiors, but exteriors are still mainly metal. The latest aircraft, however, are 50% composite – inc
Precision component manufacturers are increasingly specifying the monitoring and documentation of residual contamination limit values as a means to mitigat
Continued growth of the PM industry depends on advances in materials and materials properties, processes, and manufacturing efficiency, MPIF reports. Joe C
Scott Bader has been manufacturing resins and gel-coats for the composites industry for over 60 years and 2012 sees the company re-emphasise its long-term
Metal Finishing’s “Cleaning Times” columnist, John Durkee, delves into the various aspects, problems and engineering mechanisms common to both the drying o
Here is an overview of PM-related patents released over the last couple of months.
A new resin from DSM Composite Resins offers wind turbine blade manufacturers the mechanical performance of epoxy resin with the processing advantages of u
Collaboration results in the launch of enGage™ advanced software, offering plating shop managers mobility and total process monitoring.
ZCL Composites Inc is a manufacturer of composite storage tanks for the petroleum and other industries. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) un
In this feature we review the key business news in the composites industry for the year so far – including mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.
This year's COMPOSITES EUROPE trade show takes place in Dusseldorf, Germany, on 9-11 October. In our preview we look at just some of the innovations which
Century Design Inc (CDI) has been developing processing equipment for the composites industry for over 50 years. We spoke to the company’s president Keith
High-tech, high reliability manufacturers require state-of-the-art clean manufacturing technology and implementation strategies for successful design and e
Vehicle manufacturers are aggressively adopting lightweight composite material strategies to meet requirements for increased design freedom and flexibility
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)’s latest statistics, the global wind power industry is set to experience average annual growth rates of
Ken Brookes, consultant editor, provides an advance look at EPMA’s autumn conference and exhibition.
Siemens has produced the first batch of its new 75 m long wind turbine rotor blades, which it claims are the world’s longest. We take a look.
FRP infrastructure applications are global and growing, but there’s more to innovation than commercialising new components. Reinforced Plastics talks with
John Durkee, Metal Finishing’s “Cleaning Times” columnist, offers facility managers advice on addressing challenging, real-world cleaning situations.
The determination of cleanliness is backed up by lessons learned from failures, surface and analytical tests that may or may not include industry standards
GRP, CFRP, bio and nano – stem to stern, composites bring durability, weight reduction, and cleaner, greener cost-effective material and process options to
Joseph Capus reports from MIM2012 in San Diego, which was predominantly devoted to ferrous materials and their processing, with a smaller focus on the hard
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