Tours and Technology Trends in 2022: CW Trending Episode 9 – CompositesWorld

In this episode of CW Trending, CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan and senior technical editor, Ginger Gardiner, discuss their plant tours in the latter part of this year, including Oribi, NIAR, AvCarb, Dowty Propellers, Avel Robotics, Middle River Aerostructure Systems, Boston Materials and Albany Engineered Composites ​. They also discuss the particular growing trend of using digital tools for sustainability and how carbon fiber and advanced materials are taking new directions.

View the slideshow here .

Related Articles:

Latest 2022 plant tours:

Plant tour: Dowty Propellers, Gloucester, U. K

Transforming decades associated with design plus RTM production reliability into more sustainable, next-generation composite propellers.

Plant tour: National Institute for Aviation Research, Wichita, Kan., U. S.

NIAR, located at Wichita State University in the heart of the American aerospace manufacturing industry, has evolved to become a premier hub of teaching, R& D, creativity and innovation.

 

Upcoming webinars mentioned/related to trends:

Hybrid additive manufacturing and post-print process advances are increasing the already high design freedom and performance achievable in order to produce structural carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic amalgamated parts.

Plataine and Middle River Aerostructure Systems (MRAS) explore equipment and technologies to digitally track plus optimize manufacturing planning, materials, tools, machines and other resources to meet increased production rates and cost requirements.

Decarbonization of the composites fabrication operation requires across-the-board materials and process assessment in order to find opportunities for creating a more lasting manufacturing environment.

 

Digital tools for durability within the news:

Velocity Composites launches digital manufacturing cell to improve material efficiency

Industry 4. 0 production cell is tailored  to effectively and efficiently trace individual composite plies through the  entire value stream.  

Kanfit increases composite materials yield with Plataine AI, IIoT-based optimization solutions  

Industry 4. 0 software automates and streamlines raw  material tracking, management and planning, maximizing  materials use  up to 3%, and reducing costs plus production delays.  

Boeing to open Japan research center, expand sustainability partnerships

Boeing Research and Technology Center to focus on environmentally friendly aviation fuels, electric/hydrogen propulsion, robotics, digitization and composites.  

The next 10 years in commercial aviation and composites

Modern aviation Week  discusses  all-composite plane at Boeing, new blend wing at Airbus plus trends driven by  sustainability  — composites are a  key enabler for future aviation.

Digitizing equipment for composites production

Alpex Technologies focuses on industrialization, process and part intelligence and biocomposites in its following generation of tooling systems.

Read: Z-direction blend properties on an affordable, industrial scale

Clemson Composites Middle: Working along with industry in order to transform composites

Offering liquid plus thermoplastic composites molding, LCA-weighted simulation, full testing  to validate materials/process data cards, CCC’s  electronic life cycle approach  unites manufacturing, microstructure, part property map and structural analysis.

Read more about Composites four. 0 , Sensors plus CW ’s Tech Days on design, simulation and testing for next-gen composites structures .