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Composites, technologies, equipment.

"Composite-Expo 2027" Exhibition
March 16 - 18, Pavilion 1, Halls 1 and 4, IEC Crocus-Expo, Moscow, Russia.

Website: composite-expo.com
Youtube: youtube.com/user/compositeexpo
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Composite-Expo 2022 exhibition continues its work.

Today is the final day of the event.
Leading industry players will be delighted to see you at their stands.

Working hours today: from 10.00 to 16.00.

> free invitation

#CompositeExpo #CompositeExpoExhibition #CompositeExpo2021
Dear participants and visitors!

Behind three active days of the Composite-Expo 2022 exhibition.

We will post the final information on the event (press release, photos, feedback from participants, statistics, etc.) on the official website in the near future.

We are grateful to our regular exhibitors, as well as companies that took part in the event for the first time for making a decision about full-time participation in the exhibition in this difficult period, and visitors for their active interest in the event and the business program within its framework!

We hope that in 2023 nothing will prevent the exhibition from being held in full, with the full participation of our foreign exhibitors!

The 15th International Exhibition Composite-Expo will be held from March 28 to 30, 2023.

Advance booking of stands is already open!
The official website contain report on the Composite-Expo 2022 exhibition held from March 29 to March 31 in pavilion 1 of the Expocentre Fairgrounds.

Results of the Composite-Expo 2022 exhibition:


• reporting press release: list of exhibitors, statistics, reviews

• photos

• video interviews of exhibitors

In 2022, the exhibition was attended by 90 companies from 7 countries (Germany, Italy, China, the Republic of Belarus, Russia, Turkey, and France).

About 5400 people visited the shows (Composite-Expo and Polyurethanex) and 90% of them were specialists in different fields of industry.

In 2023, exhibitions will be held in pavilion 1 of the Expocentre Fairgrounds from 28 to 30 March.

Booth reservations for 2023 are already open!
Composites
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RATH prepares for production of advanced oxide ceramic fiber for CMC

New facility in Germany is part of regional supply chain and vision to lead green energy transition using (CMC), supported by German government and Composites United’s Ceramic Composites network.

RATH advances as new source for oxide fiber in CMC materials. Michael Roth, German state parliament candidate, can be seen holding a spool of oxide fiber at RATH site in Mönchengladbach, Germany. From left to right: Denny Schüppel (Composites United), Dr. Peter Mechich (DLR), state parliament candidate Michael Roth and from RATH: Christopher Kluthe, Dr. Philipp Franja and Cedric Dreyszas.

For more than 125 years, the RATH Group (Vienna, Austria) has combined materials expertise, application know-how and personal consulting to provide high-temperature materials for unique applications. It is now breaking ground for a new facility in Mönchengladbach, Germany where RATH is developing a high-end oxide ceramic fiber, a key component for the production of fiber-reinforced ceramics known as ceramic matrix composites (CMC).

This market has been dominated by only one American fiber manufacturer. RATH seeks to change that, because broad use of these high-tech materials promises to make the green energy transition more efficient and ecological. “Wherever lightweight design meets high temperatures, we need CMC materials,” Christopher Kluthe says, responsible for ceramic continuous fibers in the Rath Group. “Fiber composite ceramics are based on the broad market availability of oxide ceramic fibers. Only in this way will these technologies be able to make their contribution to the energy transition.”

On May 3, key representatives from industry and research met with German state parliament candidate Michael Roth at RATH GmbH in Mönchengladbach to jointly discuss new technologies for the energy transition. In addition to Kluthe, this meeting was attended by Dr. Philipp Frania, plant manager for RATH; Dr. Peter Mechnich, co-department head at the DLR Institute for Materials Research in Cologne, Germany and Denny Schüppel, managing director of Ceramic Composites, said to be the world’s largest specialist network for ceramic composites, which has been formed within the German composites association, Composites United e. V. (Berlin).

Participants in the May meeting at Mönchengladbach learned about the new material to be produced there and the new possibilities it offers. “Technologically disruptive leap innovations are what the country needs to retain industrial jobs and drive green energy supply,” German parliament candidate Roth said. “It's great that small- and medium-sized businesses in my home country can contribute to this. I am happy to support RATH in this effort.”

With the closely meshed network of research and industry, the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region where RATH Mönchengladbach is located, can become Evoa pioneer in the energy transition. Strong partners from research, such as the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Jülich Research Center (Jülich, Germany) — which is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, one of the largest interdisciplinary research centers in Europe — are reported to be just as active as small and large companies. From component manufacturers, such as WPX fiber ceramics (Bonn, Germany), to quality assurance at Diondo (Hattingen), to users such as Ford (Cologne), Linde (Lindlar) and Evonik (Essen), the partners in the NRW region represent the entire value network and are positioning themselves as pioneers of the energy transition.

#composites #ceramicmatrixcomposites #RATH

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Starlab, the planned LEO space station designed by Nanoracks for commercial space activities. Photo Credit: Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe
Composites
Starlab, the planned LEO space station designed by Nanoracks for commercial space activities. Photo Credit: Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe
Anisoprint signs MOU for space-based continuous fiber 3D printing

Continuous fiber co-extrusion (CFC) technology capacities in orbit and for the deployment of additive manufacturing have been demonstrated and validated.

Anisoprint (Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg), a continuous fiber 3D printing solution provider, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe (Houston, Texas, U.S.), a private in-space services company involved in the commercial utilization of the International Space Station (ISS), to strengthen its position as a space technology developer and become a part of the low-Earth orbit (LEO) and lunar economy.

Since Anisoprint was selected for pre-incubation in ESRIC’s Startup Support Program to adjust continuous fiber 3D printing technology for microgravity conditions, the team says it has made great strides toward expanding the resources network. The MOU is said to further secure demonstration and validation of continuous fiber co-extrusion (CFC) technology capacities in orbit and for the deployment of 3D printing manufacturing.

“We are excited to join forces with such an experienced and well-respected in source industry partner. Adjusting CFC technology for microgravity is the first step, the next is to deploy the technology in orbit together with Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe,” Dmitrii Prokopiuk, Anisoprint head of space development, notes. In his presentation at Space Resources Week 2022, Prokopiuk discussed the role of CFC 3D printing for space resources use.

Anisoprint says in space, there is a large demand for on-site production of parts and components. On-site manufacturing minimizes delivery cost and shape limitations, and also reduces the number of delivery missions. Therefore, the company feels its patented CFC technology — which creates zero waste, thus minimizing the amount of space debris and is fully automated manufacturing — is ideal for these kinds of applications.
“With our plans to develop orbit stations and other space facilities to serve the market needs at the best, the role of these innovative in-orbit manufacturing machines are getting more and more crucial,” Veronica La Regina, director business development at Nanoracks Europe, adds. “We are looking forward to experiencing the CFC 3D printing capabilities in our portfolio.”

#composites #Anisoprint #SpaceBasedContinuousFiber #3Dprinting

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Photo Credit: Toray Composite Materials America Inc.
Composites
Photo Credit: Toray Composite Materials America Inc.
Toray and Bell collaborate on new NCAMP design allowable dataset for 3960 prepreg system

Allowable design dataset establishes conformity requirements and process specifications for traditional hand layup and AFP of the 3960 prepreg system in aerospace applications.

Toray Composite Materials America Inc. (TCMA, Tacoma, Wash., U.S.), a manufacturer of advanced carbon fiber and composite prepreg materials, has entered into a collaborative arrangement with Bell Textron Inc. (Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.) to support a new National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) design allowable dataset for Toray’s 3960 prepreg material system. This prepreg system uses Toray’s T1100 intermediate modulus plus (IM+) fibers, providing high toughness and exceptional tensile performance ideal for aerospace applications.

In 2016, Toray and Bell began efforts to refine the performance of the 3960 prepreg material to meet Bell’s design requirements for high-performance and low-risk airframe solutions for efforts such as the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programs. In 2019, Toray says it began producing allowable design data for this material with guidance from the National Institute for Aviation Research’s (NIAR, Wichita, Kan., U.S.) NCAMP engineering team. This comprehensive plan establishes conformity requirements and process specifications for traditional hand layup and automated fiber placement (AFP) manufacturing processes for the 3960 prepreg system. Toray notes that the data will serve as a foundation for certification, enabling aerospace companies to achieve airworthiness approvals and bring products to market faster and at a lower cost.

“Toray’s T1100/3960 composite material offers the right balance of characteristics that enable Bell engineers to design the most efficient and reliable structures that meet our customer’s mission requirements including speed, range and agility,” according to Bell’s Vince D’Arienzo, technical fellow. “We, together with our partners, continue to optimize airframe performance attributes by building full-scale risk reduction and validation articles with Toray’s 3960 prepreg system.”

Jeff Cross, Toray director of business development adds that the company remains “committed to providing a full range of products with publicly available design data for the design and certification of aerospace and defense applications.”

#composites #Toray #prepreg #dataset

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Composites
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3A Composites Core Materials acquires Solvay’s TegraCore foam

3A Composites Core Materials has agreed to acquire Solvay’s TegraCore PPSU resin-based foam that will become part of the portfolio under the name AIREX TegraCore. Both companies agreed to continue their collaboration in further development of AIREX TegraCore.

“We are excited to complete our high-end portfolio with the acquisition of TegraCore foam, which was all these times solely produced at our site in Switzerland. This product addition will reinforce our offering and allow further developments in markets targeted for this foam – the aerospace, marine and rail markets,” said Eric Gauthier, CEO of 3A Composites Core Materials.

AIREX TegraCore is a lightweight recyclable polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) thermoplastic foam with outstanding fire-retardant properties for complex shapes in environmental demanding conditions.

“AIREX TegraCore will complete our high-end portfolio of AIREX foam cores with outstanding FST applications such as our AIREX R82 and T90 foams,” added Gauthier.

#composites #3AComposites #Solvay #TegraCorePPSU

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China’s Geortek has applied high-strength carbon fiber to the temples of AR glasses

Goertek, a Chinese high-tech company which was established in 2011, with focus on the R&D, marketing and manufacturing of high-precision components and smart hardware, collaborated with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to unveil the new wireless AR (augmented reality) smart viewer reference design based on the Snapdragon® XR2 platform. It is designed to improve time to market for vendors who would like to develop AR products based on Snapdragon XR2 platform.

The glasses can be wirelessly tethered to a mobile phone or PC through Wifi6/6E and Bluetooth, and has a complete hardware configuration to support various application scenarios such as office work, game entertainment, task guidance & remote assistance, learning & simulation training.

On optics, the new AR reference design adopts an upgraded ultra-thin free-form optical solution, equipped with a 1920 * 1080 resolution micro-OLED display, with the glasses’ front frame thickness reduced by nearly 40%, with a more user-friendly shape. Moreover, the balanced weight design on the front and rear of the glasses effectively optimizes the feeling of overall weight-bearing and makes wearing more comfortable.

Goertek has applied high-strength carbon fiber to the temples of the AR glasses for the first time, which increases the strength while making the device lighter and thinner; the tail of the temples is wrapped with a deformable soft material titanium alloy, which is more comfortable for the head and fits the population with different head circumferences; in terms of heat dissipation, a passive cooling solution is adopted to efficiently redistributing the heat of the smart viewer effectively reducing the body temperature; the smart viewers are also equipped with Goertek’s self-developed near-ear acoustic module, which ensures sound quality and privacy.

#composites #СarbonFiber #Goertek #ARglasses

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Composites
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Porcher Industries is launching a new range of flax fiber-based thermoplastic composite materials for the automotive industry

Porcher Industries is announcing the launch of a new range of automotive industry-grade thermoplastic composite stiffeners made primarily of flax fibers grown, selected, mixed, and woven in France. These products will be sold as textiles that can be thermo-compressed and injection molded.

This new environmentally conscious range is the answer to increasing automotive designer demands for composite parts that are simultaneously modern, attractive, durable, and immediately recognizable as natural. That’s exactly what Porcher Industries has done with this range and its subtly apparent flax fibers. It is primarily designed for dashboards, decorative components on car door interiors, and more generally for car cabins. The possibilities are made nearly infinite by combining various inputs, such as flax thread thickness, mixing with thermoplastic resin thread, flax dying, weave type, and surface finishing.

This new range provides performances that respond particularly well to automotive designer expectations: low weight, low cost, high impact resistance, acoustic absorption, easier recycling, and reduced environmental impact. The latter is reduced as much as possible thanks to a completely French production process. The technical flax thread is grown, harvested and selected in France, and it is mixed with thermoplastic filaments by our partner cooperative, Terre de Lin. Porcher Industries is responsible for the armor’s design, weaving and finishing processes. Another advantage is that flax is 100% recyclable at the end of its life cycle, and its 100% French sourcing is guaranteed by traceability. The three types of available thermoplastic filaments are recyclable PP, as well as biosourced PLA and PA11.

#composites #PorcherIndustries #automotive #FlaxFiberBasedThermoplasticCompositeMaterials

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Guangdong Yaxin to launch a major composite auto parts base project

The groundbreaking ceremony of the “High-performance Composite Auto Parts Production Base Project” by Guangdong Yaxin Non-Metallic Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (Guangdong Yaxin), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yatai New Materials group, was held in Zhaoqing New District, Guangdong province, South China.

The aim is to build a project with an annual output of 1 million non-metallic material auto parts, with a total investment of 250 million yuan (€ 35.5 million). The first phase of the project includes the construction of 72,000 square meters of standard workshops as well as the purchase of 4 thermoplastic molding production lines and supporting robotic hands. After the project is completed, the products will satisfy the demand of GAC AION, Dongfeng Nissan, Changan New Energy, Xiaopeng Automobile and other influential auto OEMs in China, especially in South China.

Zhu Zengyu, chairman of the company, said at the groundbreaking ceremony that it is necessary to seize the historical opportunity for the development of new energy vehicles “new energy + new materials + intelligence + lightweight”, and use high-performance and lightweight auto parts to boost new energy vehicles development towards high quality. According to him, it will take about a year to build a first-class modern composite material auto parts industry base in southern China, so as to make Zhaoqing City a significant contributor to the national economic development.

About Guangdong Asia Pacific New Material Technology Co., Ltd.:

The company was established in July 2003. It has: Metal Materials Division and Carbon Fiber Composites Division. It is a comprehensive limited liability company that integrates international cutting-edge technology research, domestic strategic emerging industry technology development reserves, inspection and testing services, achievement transformation, production, sales and service.

On the basis of serving the key components of GAC Group’s automotive composite materials, set up the Asia-Pacific Non-metallic Materials Automobile Research Institute, invest 1 billion yuan to build an industrial production line of carbon fiber composite auto parts with an annual production capacity of 500,000 vehicles. The characteristic industrial park of carbon fiber composite automotive lightweight components has developed into a large non-metal composite material R&D and manufacturing enterprise in South China. The new technology and new products of carbon fiber composite materials for automobiles realize the leap-forward development of the head office and make new contributions to the development of China’s new material industry.

#composites #CompositeAutoParts #GuangdongYaxin #CarbonFiberComposites

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Anisoprint Composer is a 3D printer designed to manufacture polymer components with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement.
Mr. Masayoshi Kawakami, President of Systemcreate, at their booth at AM Japan, Tokyo, June 23rd.
Composites
Anisoprint Composer is a 3D printer designed to manufacture polymer components with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement.
Anisoprint and Systemcreate announce exclusive partnership

Anisoprint, a manufacturer of continuous fiber 3D printing systems, and Systemcreate announce an exclusive distribution partnership that will accelerate the adoption of 3D printed continuous fiber-reinforced composites in the Japanese market.

In spite of the many challenges the world faces, the Additional Manufacturing (AM) market keeps growing and the Luxembourg-based deep-tech startup keeps expanding its global footprint. As part of the deal Systemcreate will exclusively distribute Anisoprints proprietary CFC (continuous fiber coextrusion) technology and the Composer 3D printing system in Japan.

Exclusive partnerships build the foundation of Anisoprint’s strategic growth

As seen in the recent deals in China, India, and now Japan, exclusive distributor agreements have become Anisoprint’s main method for establishing stable and strong business relationships that encourages dedicated and committed work.

Takafumi Sakamoto, Director of Asia & Pacific at Anisoprint: “Exclusive agreements are a cornerstone to building trust, close business relationships, and high productivity. We value the efforts and commitment that Systemcreate offers us and are eager to start working with such a strong and experienced partner.”

Anisoprint Composer is a 3D printer designed to manufacture polymer components with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement. The printer is capable of printing lattice structures, supports flexible material selection, and allows full control of fiber path generation.

Systemcreate plans to invest more resources in marketing to promote the Composer systems and establish a team of engineers with in-depth understanding of the CFC 3D printing technology and provide outstanding customer support service.

Mr. Masayoshi Kawakami, President at Systemcreate: “I am convinced that signing an exclusive distribution agreement for Anisoprint Composers will lead to our further growth. It is also my great pleasure that we can contribute and help Japanese engineers develop innovative products by using continuous carbon fiber 3D printers. We will now start collaborating closely with Anisoprint to accelerate cultivating the Japanese market.”

#composites #Anisoprint #Systemcreate #3Dprinter

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Breakthroughs in composites and advanced material sustainment

NCMS Technology Briefs highlight NCMS’s cultivation and growth of innovative technologies. Through their management of government and industry collaborations, they’ve gained insights into novel approaches and best practices that can assist all companies navigate the sometimes complex journey towards advancement.

Based on the results of NCMS technology projects, the briefs show the applicability and usefulness of proven technical advances — all in an effort to speed adoption and eliminate duplication of effort. NCMS is pleased to share these insights to support U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.

While composite materials have been used for thousands of years, technological advancements in modern composites have produced exceptional benefits: corrosion resistance, design flexibility, durability, strength, stiffness, light weighting, and low maintenance costs. Since the development of fiberglass, one of the first modern composites, in the 1930s, composites have been used in cars, trucks, boats, trailers, aircraft, spacecraft, wind turbine blades, bridges, buildings, bathtubs, swimming pools, storage tanks, countertops, sporting goods, solar cells, sensors, lasers, and many more items.

Created by merging two or more materials with different chemical or physical properties, without dissolving or blending those materials into each other, composites produce a new material with superior properties. Reinforcement materials (particles, flakes, or most commonly fibers made of carbon, glass, aramid, or boron) are embedded into a matrix (generally ceramics, metals, or most frequently polymers) that serves as an adhesive by binding the fibers together and lending solidity to the material. Many new types of composites are produced through alternating layers of different materials. By carefully choosing the matrix, the reinforcement, and the manufacturing process, engineers can tailor composite properties to meet needed requirements.

For several decades, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) has facilitated collaborations with industry, academic, and government partners that have advanced high-performance composite design and manufacturing processes. In the early 2000s, an NCMS project team assisted the DOD with repairing composite materials by establishing a standardized methodology to enable depot and field repair facilities to determine suitable substitute materials for weapon system repair and remanufacture. This project provided immediate benefit to warfighting capability during missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq.

In the 2010s, NCMS organized a collaboration to solve a significant problem the DOD has faced in the production and repair of composites: over 10% of engineering time is spent resolving cure cycle and heat transfer issues, which cost millions of dollars each year in scrapped parts and lost time. To help to save both money and time, an NCMS project team developed and tested tools to manage heat transfer for ovens and autoclaves used in the production and repair of composites. This project installed control hardware and software, optimizing manufacture and repair processes for several facilities that produce substantial composite hardware for the DOD.

Even with their great benefits, composites still suffer wear and damage over time. Making repairs to composites with the same materials used in the first manufacturing process has generally proven to be unsuccessful. This is because the interactions of repair materials with the original materials is never as cohesive as the original materials. As a result, alternate repair materials and procedures have been needed.

For this reason, the composite community has sought a detailed sustainment technology strategy to ensure community-wide unity of effort. The goal is to better utilize commercial and government resources toward boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of composite maintenance and sustainment.
To meet this need, in 2016 NCMS reconfigured the Composite Maintainers Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) into the Joint Composite & Advanced Materials Sustainment (JCAMS) Annual Meeting. This meeting continues to bring together government and military officials, industry leaders, manufacturers, engineers, and other technical experts who focus on issues facing the manufacturing, tooling, deployment, and repair of advanced composite materials in a defense setting.

JCAMS addresses the unique challenges for composite materials, repairs, tooling, processing, storage, and facilities. Their working groups have, for instance, solved issues in obtaining materials needed for repairing composite parts for several different assets; assembled a resource list for available training; and catalogued the skills, tools, equipment, techniques, materials, and analysis found to optimize sustainment.

In addition to the JCAMS initiatives, several NCMS collaborations have assisted the DOD transition to lightweight composite metals for industrial applications, resulting in enhanced performance, lower costs, and reduced fuel usage. Lightweight materials, such as composites, aluminum, and magnesium alloys do present a challenge: they cannot be fastened in the same way as traditional metals. They require special adhesives and other methods for joining separate parts, rather than bolts and welds.

NCMS has brought together initiatives that repair and maintain adhesive-intensive joints in a production setting using specification-compliant products. This includes making a survey of currently used joining materials used in the three largest Army depots and publicizing a list of specification-compliant replacement materials for obsolete adhesives and sealants. NCMS partners also found success in developing high-strength, high-elongation adhesives with low-temperature cure.

Another team of government and industry partners developed a reversible thermoplastic adhesive system by which a combination of steel, aluminum, and glass-fiber reinforced composite segments of vehicle components can be repaired. This work will facilitate faster, more effective maintenance of vehicles, vessels, and aircraft.

As the global transportation industry has increasingly sought to reduce carbon emissions, several NCMS collaborations have focused on using composites for vehicle light weighting, which is a primary strategy to reduce fuel consumption. One project team is developing a domestic source of mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber and lightweight composites to produce lightweight composite wheel rims and other components for commercial and military trucks.

Another collaboration has used an out of autoclave (OOA) composite manufacturing methodology, an alternative to the traditional high-pressure autoclave curing process commonly used to manufacture composite materials. This project has demonstrated efficient manufacturing processes for military ground vehicle structures, which has resulted in lightweight prototypes that are economical to produce.

Additional research on composites has upgraded the mechanical performance of additively manufactured (AM) parts used in vehicles that operate in austere, harsh environments. All these efforts have accelerated the development and transition of a wide range of composite materials into the commercial transportation industry, which will reduce corrosion, maintenance costs, and fuel consumption.