COMPOSITES EUROPE Blog

Airbus is outstripping Boeing. At the world’s largest aviation trade show held recently at Le Bourget near to Paris, the competition between the two largest aircraft makers for the custom of the airlines dominated the news coverage. The Europeans attracted 730 orders (418 of which were binding) to a total value of roughly EUR 50 billion whereas the Americans “merely” posted 142 orders (58 of which binding) worth EUR 15 billion.

The Airbus A320 NEO is to be launched in 2015 and consumes 15 percent less fuel than the current model (photo: Airbus/Fixion).

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::: NEWSFLASH ::::: Exhibitor News :::::

BUFFALO, New York – October 13, 2010 – Eastman Machine Company, a U.S. based manufacturing company specializing in cutting equipment, announces that it has appointed RH Schneidtechnik (Solingen), Germany, to represent its line of Read Full Post

Today was the first day of the COMPOSITES EUROEP in Essen.
I think it’s not an exaggeration to say that this is the largest and most beautiful CE, we have ever had. There are very nice booths, the exhibitors focusing more and more beautiful and higher stands to be found by visitors.
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Every movement must be just right when the blade and rotor hub of a wind turbine are married together at a dizzy height.  Because screwing the rotor blade onto the rotor hub 100 metres above the ground represents a major bonding technology challenge. Heavy-duty threaded bushes are bonded into the fibre-reinforced flange on the blade holder of each blade – and the bond must be absolutely rock solid.

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Neumayer Station III, shortly Neumayer III, named after the geophysicist Georg von Neumayer, is a German polar research station of the Alfred Wegener Institute in the Antarctic.  It is located on the Atka Bay on the 200-meter-thick Ekström Ice Shelf.

Sustainability and questions it raises regarding the effects materials, products and processes have on the environment is a major current topic and one that influences all aspects of business.  The automotive and electronic industries have already implemented current regulations on recycling and CO2 emissions. Demands on the use of sustainable materials and products in the building industry amongst others are now gaining pace too.

The effects that composites have on the environment are also Read Full Post

Sustainability and energy efficiency: What does the future look like for international freight traffic? What new approach can freight forwarders and logistics specialists adopt, so that they are able to transport their clients’ large loads under favorable conditions? How can such an approach ensure high environmental standards? The solution lies in lightweight design for trucks and freight containers, where fuel consumption and transport costs are reduced, CO2 emissions are lowered and climate friendliness is increased.

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Sustainability and energy efficiency: What does the future look like for international freight traffic? What new approach can freight forwarders and logistics specialists adopt, so that they are able to transport their clients’ large loads under favorable conditions? How can such an approach ensure high environmental standards? The solution lies in lightweight design for trucks and freight containers, where fuel consumption and transport costs are reduced, CO2 emissions are lowered and climate friendliness is increased.

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Following double-figure annual growth rates posted in recent years, the global economic crisis put the brakes on the rapid growth of wood-plastics-composites (WPCs) in 2009. But only temporarily as, according to the AVK (Federation of Reinforced Plastics) experts, these materials have the potential to act as substitutes for glass fibres and, thanks to their specific areas of application, can help open up entirely new markets.  In 2007 the WPC market volume for Europe as a whole was 120,000 tonnes. In contrast to many markets which are already saturated, there is potential for strong growth here.

Experts are predicting that biopolymers (polymers based on starch, cellulose and PLA) will Read Full Post

When the new Airbus A350 XWB (XWB stands for eXtra Wide Body) takes off on its maiden flight in two years time, this will also represent a milestone for the composites industry. 50% of the fuselage of the wide-bodied aircraft, which is being developed as a competitor to the Boeing 787, is made of composite materials. Last summer, Airbus purchased Read Full Post