Composites Manufacturing September October 2016 Issue

Preview of CAMX - The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo
CompositesManufacturing
September/October 2016
The Official Magazine of the American Composites Manufacturers Association
Thermoplastics
Make a Move in
Auto Industry
Advances
in 3-D
Printing
6 Pioneering
University
R&D Projects
www.compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com
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CompositesManufacturing
September/October 2016
The Official Magazine of the American Composites Manufacturers Association
12
Features
Auto Industry Explores Thermoplastics .....16
Lightweighting is a top priority for OEMs, and thermoplastics may provide
solutions. Ford, Honda and other auto manufacturers have already incorporated
thermoplastics in mass produced cars. What else is on the horizon?
By Megan Headley
Challenging Conventions with Composites ..... 22

Students have just returned to college campuses, but university researchers are
busy year-round. Learn about six innovative projects that are changing composite
materials, inspection and end-use applications.
22
By Evan Milberg
Printed Possibilities ..................................... 30

3-D printing is taking the world by storm and not just using metals.
Composites are gaining traction in additive manufacturing because of their
mechanical performance and flexibility.
By Mary Lou Jay
CAMX Preview: Meeting of the Minds ....... 35

In its third year, CAMX continues to grow and expand its programming.
35 Find out what you can expect to see, hear and do at the 2016 Composites and
Advanced Materials Expo.
Market Segments By Evan Milberg
Architecture.......................................... 8
Composites at Disney Resort
Plotting the Road Ahead ........................................ 38
Military .............................................. 12 The FIBERS Consortium, headed by members from five U.S. universities with
Unmanned Sea Vessel composites manufacturing experience, has set out to help grow the industry. They
share their efforts for the past two years and plans for the future.
By Dr. James Sherwood and FIBERS Team
Departments & Columns
From the ACMA Chair ........................ 2
Correction:
Best Practices ........................................ 4
An article on ACMAs Composites in Architecture Design Challenge in the July/August
Inside ACMA ..................................... 46
2016 issue mistakenly referred to UCLA faculty member Julia Koerner as Julie.
Ad Index ............................................ 48
About the Cover:
Fords Mustang Shelby GT350 features a thermoplastic grille opening reinforcement.
Photo courtesy of the Ford Motor Co.
From the ACMA Chair Composites
Manufacturing
Volume 32 | Number 5 | September/October 2016
Official Magazine of the

The Countdown to CAMX American Composites Manufacturers Association
Publisher
Tom Dobbins
tdobbins@acmanet.org
Editorial
I
Managing Editor
ts nearly time for CAMX The Composites and Advanced Susan Keen Flynn
sflynn@keenconcepts.net
Materials Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center
in Anaheim, Calif. The convention, which will be held Senior Manager
Marketing and Communications
September 26 29, is the place for industry membersto Barbara Sadowy
bsadowy@acmanet.org
bea part of themost energetic andexciting composites
Senior Vice President of Events and Information
event. CAMX has something for everyone and provides a Heather Rhoderick, CAE, CMP
hrhoderick@acmanet.org
platform for sharing, learning and interacting with industry
Communications Coordinator
participants from around the world.You dont want to miss Evan Milberg
emilberg@acmanet.org
this show!
Editorial Design & Production
One of the things I look forward to every year is the general session, and this year Keane Design, Inc.
karol@keanedesign.com
is no exception. If youre a fan of TED Talks, you will love this years general session. keanedesign.com
Known as CAMX Live, it will feature three panel speakers who will reflect on how using
Advertising Sales
composites has addressed challenges and solved problems. Through the eyes of these The YGS Group
717-430-2282
speakers, each of uswillget auniqueperspective onhow composites are making the Tima.Good@theygsgroup.com
world a better place. All reprint requests should be directed to
The YGS Group at 717-399-1900.
Plan to spend a lot of time on the exhibit floor, too. We have a broad selection
of vendors and manufacturers who will be displaying their products and services.
Walking the show floor is a great way for your team to see whats new in the industry American Composites Manufacturers Association
3033 Wilson Blvd., Suite 420
and make key contacts that will help your business be more competitive. Industry Arlington, Va 22201
Phone: 703-525-0511
experts will lead presentations and discussions on issues and opportunities, as well as Fax: 703-525-0743
demonstrate the latest and greatest applications and equipmentthat will bring value to Email: info@acmanet.org
Online: www.acmanet.org
your businesses.There is no better place to meet and network with new vendors and
Composites Manufacturing (ISSN 1084-841X) is
manufacturers in the industry. (For more information on CAMX, check out the preview published bi-monthly by the American Composites
Manufacturers Association (ACMA), 3033 Wilson Blvd.,
article of the show on page 35.) Suite 420, Arlington, VA 22201 USA. Subscription rates:
Free for members and non-members in the U.S., Canada
CAMX may be the highlight of the year, but it is just one of the many great things and Mexico; $55 for international non-members. A free
online subscription is available at cmmagazineonline.org.
ACMA does for its member companies. Your continued participation is what makes the Periodical postage paid at Arlington, VA and additional
mail offices.
industry great, and I look forward to seeing you at the show. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Composites
Manufacturing, 3033 Wilson Blvd. Suite 420, Arlington,
VA 22201. The magazine is mailed to ACMA members
and is also available by subscription. Canada Agreement
number: PM40063731
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO
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pb.com. Copyright 2016 by ACMA. All rights reserved.
Crane Composites No part of this publication may be reprinted without permis-
ACMA Chairman of the Board sion from the publisher. ACMA, a nonprofit organization
representing the composites industry worldwide, publishes
jcraney@cranecomposites.com Composites Manufacturing, circulation 9,000, as a service to
its members and other subscribers. The reader should note
that opinions or statements of authors and advertisers appear-
ing in Composites Manufacturing are their own and do not
necessarily represent the opinions or statements of ACMA, its
Board of Directors or ACMA staff.
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CompositesManufacturing 3
Best Practices
Variations in Glass Fiber Reinforcements

By Kevin Spoo The human eye is very sensitive to Some have the appearance of a very fine
this waviness, called print-through or mat and can be confused with CSM.
I n the May/June 2016 issue of Composites

Manufacturing, I wrote about various
types of glass fiber reinforcements,
read-through. There are numerous ways
to solve this, but one of the most effective
is to reduce the size of the resin pockets
Others are as fine as tissue. These products
are only available as rolled goods.
product forms, and sizings and binders so they are too small for the eye to see the Warpage
applied to glass. This column will focus distinctness of the resin bundles. Chopped Fiber orientation the direction in
on some of the variations available in glass strand mat (CSM), continuous filament which the fibers are laid out is a feature
fiber reinforcements that can be changed mat (CFM), multi-end rovings (MER) of many glass reinforcements, especially
to optimize appearance, processing and and glass veil are available in a variety fabrics. Resin shrinkage, coupled with
performance of composites. of filament diameters (the diameter of a fiber orientation, can create warpage
single fiber) and bundle tex (a group of problems if the reinforcements are not
Cosmetics filaments). Laying down many smaller completely random.
In most composite applications, looks bundles with the same amount of glass Normally, glass reinforcement lays
matter. One of the main factors affecting reinforcement allows for extremely small in the X-Y plane, and the composite
cosmetics is part shrinkage. Resin shrinks pockets of resin, which makes shrinkage laminate is often composed of multiple
up to 8 percent as it cures, while glass less apparent. plies of reinforcement. As long as all of the
reinforcement does not shrink at all. To address print-through issues, reinforcement is completely random (such
When the part begins to shrink, the glass filament diameter also can be changed, but as CSM or MER), the resin shrinkage
reinforcement minimizes shrinkage along in MER, CSM and CFM there is limited should be uniform across the laminate in
the length of the glass fiber. For example, flexibility. Employing smaller filament the X-Y plane and dimensional stability
if the orientation is a randomly chopped diameters can affect other processing and should be predictable. However, the
mat or choppable multi-end roving, the mechanical features, which is why these beauty of composites is that we can orient
fibers lay in the X-Y plane. When the products have filament diameters in the reinforcements to achieve a variety of
resin shrinks, it does so in the Z-axis range of 12 to 16 microns. properties to suit the application. The
because it is constrained in the X-Y plane. Another way to improve surface problem is that we dont have complete
As the resin shrinks, the reinforcement appearance is to select a product that flexibility, and typically a balanced
at the surface remains in place, but very uses 9 to 11 micron fibers that are fully laminate is required so that the fibers will
tiny resin pockets between the glass fiber dispersed. In other words, there are few stabilize the dimensional stability only in
bundles begin to retract below the plane of if any bundles of fibers. These products the direction of their orientation.
the composite surface. are typically called non-wovens or veils. Consider this example: Looking at
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Best Practices
The effect of fiber orientation dramatically affects

mechanical and structural properties,
so getting this right is critical.
a unidirectional laminate from the Z dramatically affects mechanical and its own column, the sizing effect must be
direction (top view), we see the fibers structural properties, so getting this right mentioned when discussing mechanical
stabilize the laminate in the X-axis. is critical. Smaller bundle tex usually and structural performance. Nearly all
So resin shrinkage will be exhibited in improves tensile strength and impact mechanical properties are affected by sizing.
the Z-axis and the Y-axis. In a biaxial strength, but gives up tear strength.
laminate, also viewed from the Z Better fiber dispersion often results Wet-out and Wet-through
direction, we see the laminate is stabilizedin lower glass contents and lower tear For all glass fiber reinforcements,
in the X-axis and Y-axis. Shrinkage will strengths, but improves tensile strength wet-out and wet-through are affected by
be exhibited mostly in the Z direction. and cosmetics. Smaller filament diameter filament diameter, bundle tex and fiber
However, a biaxial laminate contains two is often credited with better tensile dispersion. Wet-out describes the wetting
plies of rovings unidirectional rovings strength, fatigue resistance and impact of individual filaments and bundles of
(0 degree or UD rovings) on bottom and strength, although this is more noticeable glass fibers. Wet-through describes the
90 degree rovings on top. The common in a thermoplastic matrix than thermoset. ability of the resin to permeate through
nomenclature for this is (90, 0). This is not
It is also more noticeable in high glass multiple layers of reinforcement.
a balanced laminate, and it will warp in a content composites. Let me provide two examples: The
predictable way. (See photo on page 4.) To Two more fiber properties worth very fine texture of a glass veil wets out
eliminate this warpage, a balanced laminate mentioning are fiber length and sizing. incredibly fast due to the good fiber
must be created for instance, (0, 90, 0) or
Laminates made with continuous fibers dispersion, small filament diameter and
(0, 90, 90, 0). are stronger than those made with high surface of the fibers. But dont expect
chopped fibers. However, the advantage the resin to move through this veil to wet
Mechanical/Structural drops off in the fiber length range of out subsequent layers of reinforcement. In
The effect of fiber orientation 2 to 4 inches depending on fiber type, fact, if the resin has any entrained air, the
resin matrix and property air bubbles will likely become permanent
being measured. Typically, voids in the laminate.
processing issues make this a On the other hand, a coarse fiber CFM
moot point. typically has excellent wet-through and
Next to orientation allows resin and entrained air to quickly
and fiber volume percent, pass through the architecture of the mat.
the choice of sizing has the Individual filaments in a large bundle
biggest effect on laminate may wet more slowly in a coarse mat,
properties. The chemical but trapped air has a much easier time
composition of the sizing escaping the laminate structure.
determines whether the resin In summary, so many variations
sticks to the reinforcement in glass fiber reinforcements can affect
and whether the load the end product. There are plenty of
transfer occurs properly in ways to tune a composite to achieve the
the composite. This thin needed properties of the end user. The
layer of chemistry applied to best strategy is to partner with material
the glass, which makes the suppliers to ensure the desired results.
reinforcement processable
in a variety of molding The guest columnist for this issues
techniques, also facilitates Best Practices column is Kevin Spoo,
the bond to the selected resin a senior research associate with Owens
matrix. While the topic of Corning. Email comments to kevin.spoo@
Side-by-side example of good and bad surface cosmetics. sizing is vast and warrants owenscorning.com.
Architecture
Tomorrowland
Photo Credit: Jessica Lee, E-Grow

Uses Todays
Advanced
Materials
D isneys Tomorrowland has always
been about exploring the future and
the engineering marvels that might be
possible in that far off someday. Yet when
Shanghai Disney Resort opened on June 15,
its Tomorrowland explored the capabilities
possible today from composite materials.
Tomorrowland is one of six themed
lands at Disneys newest park. Highlights
of the nearly 25,000-square-foot area
include the Tron Lightcycle Power Run
rollercoaster, Buzz Lightyears Planet
Rescue interactive adventure and the Lilo
& Stitch character encounter, each of
which includes GFRP parts.
GFRP was selected as a prime material
for many applications due to its durability
and water-proofing capabilities, as well
as the ease with which it could create
complex shapes. FRP can produce double
curved panels with complicated patterns
on the surface directly from the design
in the computer, explains Jessica Lee,
project coordinator for Shanghai-based
E-Grow, a fabricator of GFRP and other
advanced building materials. This makes
it perfect for futuristic designs. A proprietary wax mold process helped the fabricator cost effectively produce hundreds
These futuristic designs included, of unique components from seating to ceiling panels for areas such as restaurants
and outdoor dining spaces.
for example, theconcoursebase
claddingwith its series of complicated
parametricpatterns spread across aback some fabricators. To produce the benefits, Lee explains. If we were to follow
thesurface, as well as the decorative panels wide-ranging variation cost effectively in construction industry standards using
at the queue for the Buzz Lightyear ride. six months beginning in November 2015, carpentry or foam molds, it would create a
GFRP theater delay towers, which hold E-Grow pulled a trick out of its sleeve a lot of waste and pollution, often with very
show lighting and audiovisual equipment, patented wax mold process. bad tolerances. If we were to use nautical or
also embrace the futuristic theme with The fabricator had first used its aerospace techniques, the tolerances would
their rocket shape. Altogether, composites wax mold process on the Guangzhou be wonderful, but the costs would simply
are found in many shapes and sizes in at Opera House in China, which, like be too high, she says. The wax molds
least 12 areas of Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland, has almost no repeated solved both of those problems.
The vast number of differently shaped shapes. Using wax to create the molds for E-Grow used a 3-D computer-assisted
and sized components might have taken the hand lay-up process offered several manufacturing file to CNC mill individual
Architecture

The outdoor theater in Tomorrowland at Shanghai Disney features The ease with which the fabricator could produce double curved
delay towers shaped like spaceships. The towers, which hold panels with complicated surface patterns made GFRP a perfect
lighting and audiovisual equipment, were made from GFRP. material choice.
mold plugs from wax blocks. Each plug For the Disney project, we generally highly detailed textures, says Lee. It then
was created with all surface texture and started with wax positives from which we cast composite panels from these large
design details. The plugs were then used would cast glass fiber reinforced gypsum GFRG molds.
to cast the large gypsum-based mold tools (GFRG) negatives and assemble them An additional benefit of this process is
that wereReichhold-half-page-M2.pdf
used for the hand lay-up process.
1 8/2/16
to11:52
makeAMvery large gypsum molds with that the wax plugs could be melted down
CM
MY
CY
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and reused after parts were produced.
Because the wax is recycled, the fabricator FIND OUT MORE AT
was able to cost effectively create large CAMX 2016 BOOTH
numbers of custom GFRP parts with
SEPT 27-29 ON BOOTH L39 L39
minimal waste.
However, cost wasnt the biggest
challenge the project faced. The composite
products had to meet stringent fire
requirements. Every GFRP component
in the park had to meet both Disneys
fire standards, as well as the Chinese B1
reaction to fire classification for fully
assembled composite parts, as stipulated
and tested by the Chinese National
Inspection and Testing Centre for
Building and Engineering Materials.
FRP is only fire-rated B1 in China
and, although the regulations allow FRP
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to be used on facades under 50 meters
in height, it is still not easy to convince
clients to agree to using FRP on facades,
says Philip Vernon, project manager for FROM TECHNICAL FIBRE PRODUCTS INC.
E-Grow. Fortunately, he adds,Disney had
worked with FRP for decades and already MULTIPLE BENEFITS FROM USING A SINGLE MATERIAL!
had a good understanding of the materials.
Disneys toughest requirement High Quality Surface Finish EMI Shielding Adhesive Carrier
was that both the resin and gel coat,
together as an assembly, had to be fire- Resin Flow Media Electrical Conductivity Fire Protection
rated B1, rather than simply the resin Corrosion Resistance Fracture Toughness Improvement
alone. We went through entrusted fire- Abrasion Resistance Galvanic Corrosion Prevention
testing at laboratories in Shanghai, and
onlyScott Baders products reached those
INQUIRIES@TFPGLOBAL.COM 1 518 280 8500
requirements, Vernon says.
E-Grow ultimately incorporated a WWW.TFPGLOBAL.COM
number of Scott Baders fire-resistant
products, including Crestapol 1212
high-performance aluminum trihydrate
(ATH) filled urethane acrylate resin.
Reinforcements included 450 gsm
chopped strand mat and 450 gsm woven
rovings. Vernon notes that Scott Bader
adjusted its resin formula to make it
TECHNICAL FIBRE PRODUCTS IS PART OF JAMES CROPPER PLC
easier to hand-lay with the fibers, despite
the high-loading of ATH.
Disney added another wrinkle to ACMA advert 07-16.indd 1 22/07/2016 10:36
meeting fire requirements when it insisted

that all fire-resistant gel coats match the different trades. For example, getting the visitors. Now the biggest challenge Disney
paint system so that in the event of any rocket-shaped delay towers completed faces is dreaming up new applications for
damage to the paint surface the part onsite was tricky because the fabricator tomorrows composite components.
would maintain its color. To meet this had to coordinate setup of its GFRP forms
demand, Scott Bader provided E-Grow with the installation of perforated stainless Megan Headley is a freelance writer based
with eight custom colors of its Crystic steel, show lighting and electronics. in Fredericksburg, Va. Email comments to
967 FR fire-retardant, pre-accelerated, Producing 24,700 square feet of rmheadley3@gmail.com.
ISO-NPG polyester gel coat. everything from show sets to furniture
According to E-Grow, most areas of to faades was challenging to sequence, For more stories like this, visit
production were finished within a year, Vernon says. CompositesManufacturingMagazine.com
although some were completed later due Shanghai Disneys Tomorrowland and check out the Architecture articles
to challenges with sequencing among has since opened to rave reviews from under the Market Segments tab.
Photo Credit: DARPA
Military The Sea Hunter undergoes
full-speed turn testing in
the Willamette River in
Portland, Ore.
DARPA Debuts Unmanned Sea Vessel

D uring the next two years, the U.S.
Department of Defenses Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency
level of autonomy we are striving for.
The Sea Hunter was developed
under DARPAs Anti-Submarine Warfare
include basic testing of the mechanical
and electrical systems as well as collision
avoidance testing.
(DARPA) will perform open-water testing Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel The principle thing weve been
of an unmanned surface vessel at Naval program in conjunction with the Office working on in the DARPA program is the
Base Point Loma in San Diego. The 132- of Naval Research (ONR). The vessel was ability to obey the rules of the road at sea
foot twin-screw trimaran, named the Sea built to perform a submarine track-and- autonomously, says Littlefield. The goal
Hunter, is designed to travel thousands of trail mission. But because its larger than is to not just have a remote-controlled
miles over the open seas for months at a other unmanned vehicles and can carry a boat, but a vessel that can avoid collisions
time without any crew members on board. greater payload, other possible missions with other ships and behave appropriately
The robotic, autonomous ship the first exist. One thing we are working on in on the high seas just as if it were being
in a new class of ocean-going vessels the near-term with the Office of Naval steered by a human mariner. DARPA
features a composite hull and foam core Research is an advanced minesweeping and the ONR will experiment with Navy-
with GFRP skin. system that incorporates technology relevant payloads and examine how the
Several navies, including ours, have developed by the ONR, says Littlefield. Sea Hunter interacts with larger cruise
experimented with smaller unmanned That system will be tested in 2017. vessels. During early testing, the vessel will
surface vehicles, says Scott Littlefield, Leidos served as the prime contractor be operated from a shore control system
program manager in DARPAs tactical on the Sea Hunter, which was constructed on the pier. Later testing may simulate
technology office. The difference here in Portland, Ore., and underwent builders usage in a fleet, with the Sea Hunter
is two-fold: One is the size of the vessel, trials on the Willamette River. It then being operated from shore while it transits
which allows it to go greater distances traveled south via barge to Point Loma out to meet a battle group, then control
directly from a pier and not be launched on a three-day journey, arriving at the shifting to one of the ships in the fleet.
from another ship. The second is the high naval base on May 2. The ocean trials will While advanced software, hardware
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September 2629, 2016: Conference / September 2729, 2016: Exhibits
Anaheim Convention Center / Anaheim, California
COMBINED STRENGTH.
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Now in its 3rd year, CAMX has established itself as North Americas event that connects and
advances the worlds composites and advanced materials communities. CAMX is the go-to
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Photo Credit: DARPA
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The Sea Hunter unmanned surface technology demonstration vessel utilizes GFRP and flammable, biodegradable, has no
CFRP for strength and durability. HAPS and is re-usable. Designed as
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and life cycle costs. just under $23 million. He expects the Feel free to contact us at
The ship resembles a Polynesian war cost per vessel, if built in larger volumes, www.uspoly.com or
canoe, with a long, slim hull supported would be about $20 million.
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outriggers are made from E-glass infused There are lots of advantages we are still
with a vinyl ester resin as well as a carbon trying to learn about, but we clearly see
fiber epoxy prepreg. The external shell that autonomy brings value both for
features a linear styrene acrylonitrile military missions and potentially for some
(SAN) foam core, and the internal future commercial applications, he says.
structure uses a PVC foam core. The For example, we see a lot of interest now
prototype vessel was built using vacuum- from some large shipping companies and
assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). marine equipment developers in creating
The Sea Hunter weighs 145 tons similar systems for cargo vessels.
(with full-load displacement) and can
travel approximately 10,000 nautical Susan Keen Flynn is managing editor of
miles at 12 knots. The goal is to reach Composites Manufacturing magazine. Email
top speeds between 24 and 27 knots. comments to sflynn@keenconcepts.net.
Littlefield calls the ocean testing a crawl,
walk, run process, beginning with short For more stories like this, visit
operations. We hope as we get farther CompositesManufacturingMagazine.com Recognized for
safer chemistry
into the experimentation that we may be and check out the Military articles under www.epa.gov/dfe/
able to do some longer endurance runs the Market Segments tab.

and go farther out to sea, he says. The
primary reason for coming to San Diego
669099_USpoly.inddCompositesManufacturing
1 04/12/13152:34 PM
Auto Industry Explo
OEMs are attracted by the potential for short production
cycles, thereby enabling lightweight solutions for mass
production.
By Megan Headley
ores Thermoplastics
T
here was little argument in 2012 when the Environmental
Protection Agency mandated that by 2025 the U.S. auto fleet
must average 54.5 miles per gallon. President Obama called
the new fuel standards the single most important step weve
ever taken to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. To achieve this
stringent new requirement, automotive industry researchers knew that
Fords 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350
theyd have to turn to materials that could lighten vehicular weight
replaces a plastic-metal hybrid
design grille opening reinforcement
without reducing its strength. CFRP is an obvious choice.
with a lighter weight carbon fiber- In July 2016, Just Auto released a light vehicle materials market
filled polyamide component. forecast that stated that the use of CFRP materials is now growing rapidly
beyond the production of high-end, low-volume vehicles and heading
Photo Credit:The Ford Motor Co. into mainstream production. While manufacturers like Lamborghini have
led in composite research (its Advanced Composites Structure Laboratory
has developed CFRP solutions for the luxury carmaker since 2007),
automakers like Ford are now focusing on mass production. For example,
in 2015 the carmaker began mass producing carbon fiber wheels for its
Mustang Shelby GT350R.
Joe Laux, director of advanced engineering for automotive component
manufacturer Magna Exteriors, predicted in the Just Auto report that
automotive applications of carbon fiber will only increase as the 2025
deadline approaches since there is not a material that we know of that
competes on a strength versus weight basis. There are many materials that
are more affordable, but not on a comparable mass savings opportunity.
While the weight and strength benefits favorably place CFRP as
a material of interest to the automotive industry, expanding its use
has not been without challenges. Cost is certainly an issue. (See the
sidebar on page 20.) Speed of production is another significant hurdle.
As a result, composite suppliers continue to explore processes and
manufacturing solutions that can better meet automakers needs. One
such shift is a growing use of thermoplastic over thermoset composites
in a variety of new applications.
Production Benefits
While thermoset composites have features that make them attractive
to the automotive industry including ease of manufacturing at a
relatively low material cost thermoplastics offer their own difficult-
to-ignore benefits. Chief among these are the significant increases in
production speed over thermosets.
Thermoplastic parts can be processed at much higher rates of speed
than thermosets, explains Eric Wollan, vice president of technology
and business development for PlastiComp Inc. in Winona, Minn.
Typical cycle times for thermoplastic parts are two minutes or less.
Christian Obermann, general manager of Bond Laminates GmbH,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of German specialty chemicals company
LANXESS AG, points to these far shorter production cycles without
the need for any post-production processes as the chief benefit
leading the switch. LANXESS experts say thermoplastic solutions are
by far better for high-volume mass production and enabling lightweight
solutions.
This combination of speed and weight reduction is key,
and the reason that automakers like Honda are working with
thermoplastic suppliers who can rapidly produce components.
Honda is using LANXESS Tepex continuous fiber-reinforced,
high-performance thermoplastic composite, made by its Bond
Laminates subsidiary, in combination with its Durethan high-
performance thermoplastic polymer to manufacture the hybrid-
molded rear bumper beam for Hondas 2016 Clarity hydrogen
fuel cell vehicle using a one-shot molding process. According to
Obermann, this not only allows the production of parts that are
about 50 percent lighter than those made from metal, but also
results in a significantly streamlined production process for the
automotive industry.
Improved cycle times are crucial for meeting the fast pace of
automotive production, but thermoplastics possess additional
benefits as well. Mark Minnichelli, director of technical
development for BASF Performance Materials and site leader
at the companys Budd Lake, N.J., location, points to several
additional advantages of thermoplastic composites compared to
thermoset materials:
They are inherently recyclable, so there is no additional

waste traveling to the landfill.
There are no shelf life issues or need to refrigerate materials.
They are inherently more ductile and less brittle than
thermoset components.
They give manufacturers the ability to mold in features and
mold to net shape in many instances, eliminating the need light weight, low cost applications for thermoplastic composites,
for secondary operations. he says.
One such example is BASFs recently commercialized 20
And theres one more characteristic that offers promise: percent carbon fiber-filled polyamide grille opening reinforcement
aesthetics. Todays materials offer high-quality surface (GOR) for Fords 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350. BASF worked
aesthetics, potentially Class A, says Paul Platte, senior marketing with Magna International Inc. to replace a plastic-metal hybrid
manager, Automotive and Transportation, North America, design with the carbon fiber component. BASFs Ultramid
in Polycarbonates Industrial Marketing, for Pittsburgh-based polyamide thermoplastic resin, blended with 20 percent short
Covestro LLC. Applications that are not seen as viable today carbon fiber composition, was injection molded in two parts to
will become more viable in the future because of the improved create a piece that reduced the mass of the GOR by 24 percent
aesthetics that polycarbonate composites offer. Examples include (2.5 pounds). And because the new piece proved more aesthetically
Class A body panels, seat backs and exterior horizontal panels. pleasing than the earlier GOR, it enabled the elimination of a
beauty cover, which saved an additional 1.9 pounds.
Lightening the Load Taking off a pound here and there adds up quickly, no matter
With the rapid approach of the EPAs 2025 fuel efficiency how small the switch. Its why Platte sees fasteners as another
deadline, automotive researchers are increasingly focusing potential area strong thermoplastics can replace. There is
on thermoplastic composites. The adoption of carbon fiber potential for polycarbonate composite tape to be used as a local
reinforced thermoplastics will begin to increase because of the reinforcement in place of alternative materials, he suggests. If
pure need for light weighting, Wollan predicts. you can locally reinforce a part with composite tape, it may be
Minnichelli agrees. There continue to be significant weight- possible to thin the overall packaging requirements by decreasing
reduction drivers affecting the automotive industry, which will part size and thickness.
fuel interest in replacing heavier materials in todays vehicles
with lightweight thermoplastic composites. A growing number Emerging Structural Applications
of structural components currently made of steel, and even With the new motivation to reduce weight, the automotive
aluminum or magnesium, will be opportunities for future growth industry is looking beyond traditional applications think
of thermoplastic composites, he says. instrument panels, exterior lighting lenses and reflectors, vehicle
Minnichelli notes that new applications for thermoplastics are air intake manifolds to more semi-structural applications for
being commercialized today to make use of higher temperature thermoplastics.
materials and higher loadings of fiberglass and carbon fiber Thermoplastic composites offer a lightweight design
reinforcement. At BASF, for example, we have been working solution for semi-structural applications, providing structural
directly with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to develop strength and stiffness at a fraction of the weight of competing
Hondas Clarity Fuel Cell hydrogen electric vehicle features the
worlds first hybrid-molded rear bumper beam, made using one-
shot molding technology.
it more suitable for meeting this structural need.

And in 2015, a large German car manufacturer began using
Tepex dynalite for the mass production of underfloor protection
panels. The polypropylene-based, low-weight, reinforced
thermoplastics which are used to manufacture underbody
panels due to their sound-absorbing properties are stiffened
with Tepex surface layers. In this application, the panel is made
in a one-step thermoforming process. The result, the company
reports, is a component that can withstand the mechanical loads
associated with operating an automobile under extreme on- or
off-road conditions.
Hurdles to Broader Implementation

Although thermoplastic composites have been used in some
automotive applications for decades, creating new solutions will
require new technology and processes. One area still lacking
Photo Credit: Honda Motor Co. is software that can accurately predict how thermoplastic
composites will perform in an automotive part. This has made
designers and engineers hesitant to use these materials on a
wholesale basis, Wollan says.
Minnichelli elaborates, One of the significant challenges
of injection molded (short and long fiber) composites is the
ability to accurately predict part performance using a highly
materials, Platte explains. With their increased flexural and anisotropic material, where material properties in the molded
tensile modulus, thermoplastic composites allow manufacturers part are influenced by the molding operation and flow-induced
to produce much thinner components. In short, you can achieve orientation.
comparable stiffness and strength to develop parts that are lighter BASF has solved this software challenge by developing its
and consume less space. own performance prediction technology, which it calls Ultrasim.
Balancing light weight with strength is crucial for fabricators. According to Minnichelli, the tool enables users to model
After all, pieces like Mustangs GOR have an important structural customer applications and very accurately predict final part
role to play. The GOR connects the upper and lower frame rails, performance, including the influence of flow-induced anisotropy.
gives shape to the front end and boosts the overall stiffness of the And as Platte points out, new processes require new ways
front vehicle body. With the success of this component, BASF is of thinking. A [big] challenge is educating engineers about the
now looking at adding carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics to behavior of thermoplastic composites so they can adequately
other structural components. design for newer applications using these materials, he says.
We are working with Ford and others to evaluate higher In addition, because early automotive applications of CFRP
loading levels of carbon fiber and glass fiber filled materials for were designed for low-volume applications, speed of production
more structural applications, which have also yielded mass savings wasnt as pressing an issue as it is for high-volume mass
from 23 percent to 33 percent over their aluminum counterparts, production. This is an area where research continues to evolve.
Minnichelli says. We also continue to develop continuous fiber In order to use continuous fiber materials for more
materials, which can significantly increase strength and modulus automotive applications, we are working with industry partners
for applications that demand even higher levels of performance for example, through the Institute for Advanced Composites
than injection molded composite materials. Manufacturing Innovation to improve the processing
Research at LANXESS likewise has sought to balance lighter technologies needed to accurately create multilayer continuous
weight with strength. One case in point is a mass-produced van fiber inserts at automotive cycle time speeds, Minnichelli says.
battery console that has used the companys Tepex solution since On a practical level, the higher cost of the processes is another
2015. New and more demanding crash test standards prompted hurdle to wider use of thermoplastics in vehicles. The challenge
a switch to Tepex from an insert that previously relied on a we face on the supplier side is demonstrating the performance
consolidated hybrid yarn fabric made of glass and polypropylene value relative to cost for applications currently using alternative
fibers. Today the console is fabricated in a direct long-fiber technologies. This must be done in close collaboration with
thermoplastic process from a polypropylene compression molding qualified Tier 1 suppliers, Platte says.
compound, and then reinforced with long glass fibers and an Wollan adds, Costs of materials, especially carbon fiber
overlay made of Tepex dynalite. The stiffness, strength and reinforced materials, need to decrease significantly before
toughness of Tepex dynalite at a wide range of temperatures made widespread adoption will occur.
Vehicle Technology Innovators Seek to Solve Composite Challenges
A s fabricators in the automotive industry explore possibilities

for using composite materials in new applications, IACMI
The Composites Institutes Vehicles Technology Area is seeking
ultimate goal.
If you think about where carbon fibers are used now
theyre relatively small volume applications, Drzal says. To
to solve some of the biggest hurdles in expanding this use. get up to millions of vehicles each year theres going to have
Larry Drzal, director of IACMIs Vehicle Technology Area and to be big changes in the way these parts are manufactured.
of the Composite Materials and Structures Center at Michigan Thats the core focus of IACMI. How can we produce these in a
State University (MSU), points out that carbon fiber offers 90-second timeframe?
undeniable lightweighting benefits, but it wont be more widely By the end of this year, IACMIs new facility, operated
used unless costs come down. The problem has been that by MSU, will be putting faculty, research staff and graduate
carbon fiber typically is only available in quantities to satisfy students to work solving these challenges. The full-scale Vehicle
the needs of the aerospace market, and so is very expensive Technology Area is purchasing technologies to explore both
on the order of $20 per pound or so, he says. Being able thermoset and thermoplastic processes including equipment
to use that in a composite in a vehicle is problematic from an for high pressure liquid molding, injection molding, overmolding
economic viewpoint. and high-speed compression molding specifically for creating
IACMI is working with several partners on ways to reduce automotive solutions. It also will train people used to working
the cost, including a joint effort with Oak Ridge National with metals on working with composites. Whats more, Drzal
Laboratory to reduce the cost of carbon fibers to closer to adds, Well have the ability for material suppliers to develop
$5 per pound. But suppliers will have to work to meet the process technologies and parameters for their materials. We
potential for increased demand as well, Drzal says, since the think thats a cornerstone of what its going to take to increase
infrastructure necessary to create lower cost carbon fiber isnt the use of composites.
yet in place. Looking to the future, Drzal has one guess as to what well
IACMI also is addressing the challenge of production see on vehicles: The answer really is going to be a hybrid
speeds. One of its goals is to boost the adoption of carbon solution. That can even include a combination of composites
fiber composites in mass-produced platforms (over 100,000 to metals, for example, he says. Its not going to be
units/year) within five years. In addition, the institute is exclusively all composite materials, but its going to be the best
pushing multiple technologies for processing continuous fiber combination depending on what the design for the part is and
reinforcement to achieve cycle times under three minutes within how it should function.
five years, with an under 90-second production time being the
The composite seat pan for the new Opel Astra OPC is an
Photo Credit: BASF

overmolded thermoplastic laminate with continuous fiber
reinforcement made from BASFs Ultramid materials. A
combination of unreinforced and impact-modified, reinforced
Ultramid grade materials results in a lightweight composite
concept seat pan with weight savings of 45 percent.
However, thats a hurdle that will likely be breached as supply

grows to meet demand. As demand grows, price points of
the materials will continue to come down to a more palatable
level, Wollan predicts. There is also the potential for hybrid
thermoplastics to help bridge the price and performance gap
between carbon composites and glass composites.
And demand is expected to grow. Grand View Researchs
April 2016 Market Analysis echoes numerous other reports in its
predictions that global demand for CFRP will significantly increase
in the next decade. The market analysis adds that thermoplastic
CFRP is expected to gain popularity due to its superior properties
compared to thermoset CFRP. Because the latter requires several
minutes or hours to mold the desired shape, its not currently
suitable as a material for mass-produced automobiles.
This demand should also lead to an explosion in research,
new technology and new applications for thermoplastic
composites in tomorrows vehicles.
Megan Headley is a freelance writer based in Fredericksburg, Va.

Email comments to rmheadley3@gmail.com.
Untitled-1 1
12/8/15 4:35 PM
Ben Bunes (left),
Ling Zang and Chen
Wang (seated) from
the University of
Utah demonstrate a
prototype scanner that
uses carbon nanotube-
carbazole polymer
composites.
Challenging
Conventions with
Composites
University R&D projects continue to push the limits
of what can be done with composites.
By Evan Milberg
I
f there are three words you never want to tell a composites researcher, they are no, you cant. You cant take
scrap carbon fiber from an airplane and turn it into something else. You cant make a bomb detector small
enough to be portable. In this issue, Composites Manufacturing highlights research projects at six universities
that did those things and more. The forward-thinking researchers inspire innovation by challenging
conventional wisdom.
Gary Leeke, front, and Liam
Grover hit the water with the
worlds first kayak made out of
recycled CFRP.
Photo credit: Nick Rawle, Creative Concern

Photo credit: Dan Hixson - University of Utah College of Engineering
Kayaking with Recycled Materials 300 C. The acetone and water vaporized and raised the pressure
to about 150 bar.
Project: Recycled CFRP kayak Under those conditions, it will break down and dissolve the
School: University of Birmingham resin, explains Leeke. When you depressurize and lower the
Location: Birmingham, England temperature, you can recover your fibers quite nicely. He adds
Principal Investigator: Gary Leeke that while 300 C seems scorching, its cooler than the common
heat-intensive process, pyrolysis. Leeke says that at 500 C,
T o succeed in Englands 125-mile Devizes to Westminster

International Canoe Race widely considered one of the
toughest endurance events in the world a kayaker needs to be in
pyrolysis can burn off the resin and lead to some fiber damage.
However, Leeke and Grover hit a number of proverbial
bumps in the water while developing their new material. Limited
peak physical condition and have a well-made kayak that almost by the size of the reactor available at the university, each solvolysis
flies across the water. While Gary Leekes kayak from the 2016 race process cycle only produced about 0.6 square meters of material.
doesnt literally have wings, it achieves speed thanks to recycled As a result, it took six weeks to make enough material 14.5
aerospace-grade carbon fiber. This marks the first time a kayak has square meters for the kayak.
been made out of recycled FRP, says Leeke, a former researcher at In the future, we envision that you could take rolls of
the University of Birmingham now at Cranfield University. prepreg material, strip back the resin and reuse the actual fiber
Weve used aerospace fibers previously in our plates (canoe itself, explains Leeke. This is what we wouldve liked to have
panels), but not in a full-scale demonstrator, so we wanted to done with our kayak do it in a one-step process.
show people you can take waste from one sector and use it in The manufacturer, Kirton Kayaks Ltd., also ran into issues.
another, explains Leeke. As Leeke explains, small kayak manufacturers would like to use
Leeke says the benefit of recycled aerospace carbon fiber is RTM, but cant since the technology is too expensive. Hand lay-
that it makes the kayak very stiff, which is great for racing. A stiff up wasnt an option either because the bio-based thermoplastic
hull causes less ripple in the water, which allows a racer to travel resin couldnt flow through the heavy aerospace-grade fibers.
fast. The downside is that aerospace-grade fibers are very heavy Ultimately, Kirton Kayaks opted for vacuum bag infusion.
compared to what is normally used to make a kayak. Most kayaks Despite the obstacles, Leeke says the kayak performed
are made from materials that weigh 150 grams per square meter. impeccably on the water, which he joked is more than he could
The recycled material that Leeke made weighed 300 grams per say for himself and Grover, as they eventually had to drop out of
square meter. the race after 85 miles due to Grovers back injury.
Leeke and Liam Grover, Leekes academic colleague and However, Leeke says they plan on using the kayak again in
racing teammate, used a carbon fiber recycling process called next years Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race.
solvolysis which entails splitting chemical bonds with a solvent Kirton Kayaks would like to make another kayak with a different
to make the material for the kayak. They put the carbon fiber material, so Leeke is considering processing a lighter grade
composite that they wanted to recycle in a mixture of water and material that would reduce the weight of the boat and travel a bit
acetone, then placed it inside a pressure vessel and heated it to faster in the water.
From left: University of Illinois researchers Wenle Li, Michael T.
Odarczenko and Ke Yang display damage examination, coating
and microencapsulation technologies.
helps the researchers determine the extent of the damage. The

team says the system is incredibly consistent. It took scratched
coatings and stored them for eight months. The color of the
stored coatings matched the intensity of new scratches.
According to White, the team chose Hexions EPON 813
epoxy resin and Hexions EPIKURE 3233 curing agent
commonly used materials to cover a wide range of applications,
including aerospace, construction, civil infrastructure, automotive
systems and shipbuilding.
He adds that investing in this type of technology makes
sense for customers who want a failsafe mechanism, where
it is possible to do manual maintenance and inspection of the
damaged places to ensure the healing process is taking place.
I think [our system] is part of a portfolio of different,
Photo credit: Leon Dean

multifunctional applications for composites that are the wave of
the future, says White. When you talk about self-healing, you
extend the lifetime of composite structures, but at the same time,
customers who use these would like to know when theres damage
and when its been healed.
White says the next step is to apply the damage system to
Seeing Red CFRP and GFRP systems. Other aspects that have to be addressed
Project: Polymer damage inspection are the long-term stability of the microcapsules and microcapsule-
infused material when its exposed to various environmental
School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conditions, such as temperature and humidity cycles.
Location: Champaign, Ill. Glass is an easier material to work with if its an optical-
Principal Investigator: Wenle Li based indicator because theyre translucent at some thickness
level, so you can actually see inside of them and see the damage
I n many industries, its common to utilize a color-coded system

to identify potential problems or emergencies. No matter the
market, code red usually means its time to panic. However,
that is being reported, says White. With graphite, its a more
challenging prospect since its largely black.
And the researchers are not stopping at simply indicating
thanks to a new polymer damage inspection system developed by damage. In the teams report on its study, Autonomous Indication
researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, of Mechanical Damage in Polymeric Coatings, it notes that coatings
seeing red could help engineers fix problems in structural that repair themselves may also be a possibility.
applications before they get out of hand. That is often difficult Through the addition of microcapsules containing an epoxy
with composite structures, as even significant damage is barely monomer, we could enable coatings that not only indicate
visible sometimes. crack damage but also self-heal, the paper states. In future
Under the direction of professors Scott White and Nancy generations of self-reporting coatings, we anticipate the ability
Sottos, researchers Wenle Li, Michael T. Odarczenko and Ke to autonomously indicate a damage event, heal the damage and
Yang used a microcapsule approach for the system which provide a secondary indication that the damage had healed.
White says is the easiest approach with the longest track record of
success in damage indication.
The process begins by putting a dye (dichlorofluorescein or Thinking Outside the Box
DCF) into a microcapsule. The researchers then dissolve the DCF Project: An urban concept vehicle
in a carrier solvent (ethyl phenyl acetate or EPA). If theres no School: Clemson University
damage, the dye remains undetected inside the capsule. Whenever
Location: Clemson, S.C.
there is some sort of damage, whether a scratch or a mechanical
rupture, the microcapsules break and release a liquid curing agent. Principal Investigator: Johnell Brooks
The solvent carries the dye out into the damaged region, and
the dye itself comes into contact with the native matrix material,
explains White. In our case, we targeted epoxy polymers. There
are residual amines which trigger a color change in the dye itself.
I f Clemson Associate Professor Johnell Brooks could offer words
of wisdom to automotive engineers of the future, it would be to
put a clients needs and brand identity before their own personal
It transforms from this pale yellow to a bright red color. As a desires. However, as millennials, many of Brooks engineering
result of that pH trigger, a bright red color is visible wherever students are the exact people OEMs are looking to please.
there is damage. One OEM, Toyota, saw an opportunity to create something
A deeper scratch will produce a more intense color, which novel when it reached out to Clemson University for help.
Photo credit: Clemson University
Clemson University graduate
students made the uBox
concept car for Toyota to appeal
to Generation Z consumers.
The challenge: create a concept vehicle designed for urban of other universities there reached out to us to find out how
environments that would appeal to the young people in they could do student projects like this, Brooks says. From an
Generation Z. educational perspective, I think its really helped open eyes.
The result was the uBox an electric vehicle and the sixth The next project, Deep Orange 7, is already far along in
concept car in the Deep Orange series, a collaboration between the process, according to Brooks. Its objective is to work on
graduate automotive engineering students at Clemson University, BMWs MINI brand to create a revolutionary MINI technology
transportation design students at ArtCenter College of Design in demonstrator facing the potential requirements to come within
Pasadena, Calif., and various automotive industry partners. the next decade as part of a collaborative real-world educational
The Clemson team used high-strength composites to reduce experience. McConomy is also working on Deep Orange 8,
the weight, minimize part count and simplify the assembly of the which is still in the concept development stage.
uBox. According to Shayne McConomy, an associate research
engineer at Clemson who mentored the Deep Orange graduate Detecting Danger
students, composites were used to make the doors, a lot of the Project: Alkane fuel scanner
internal body panels, several of the structures in the front clip
(which comprises seven pieces that make up the dash) and the
School: University of Utah
crash rail panels. He adds that the students were able to create Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
the shape of the car by putting a fiberglass overlay onto the Principal Investigator: Ling Zang
composite panels. The entire car weighs just 1,612 kilograms
(~3,554 pounds).
The vehicle incorporates TeXtreme carbon fabrics in the
door panels, rear hatch, dashboard, bumpers and cladding. The
O ne of the ways the United States Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) ensures the safety of Americans is to thwart
dangerous acts before they happen. That may be why the DHS,
team opted for fabrics because they provide the popular carbon National Science Foundation and NASA funded research at
fiber look that is aesthetically pleasing. The vehicles roof rail was the University of Utah to create a novel material for a handheld
made with high-strength pultruded composites that can be mass scanner that can detect small traces of alkane fuel vapor. Alkane
manufactured at a low cost and create a curvature desired by Toyota. vapor, when detected, can be an early warning signal for leaks in
Clemson students fabricated the uBox components using an oil pipeline or airliner or for locating a terrorists explosive.
vacuum infusion. We really wanted to have the students to According to the University of Utah, there are no small,
do their own lay-up themselves. It was important for their portable chemical sensors to detect alkane fuel vapor because
educational experience that they understand that process, the vapor is not chemically reactive. So Utah professor Ling
Brooks says. Not only did the students make the composite Zang, doctoral students Chen Wang and Yaqiong Zhang, and
panels, they made the whole car, then tested it in an echoless postdoctoral fellow Ben Bunes developed a handheld scanner that
chamber at Clemson. uses a novel, chemically-reactive composite to detect the vapor.
Perhaps the most impactful part of the entire experience for As Bunes explains, the composite itself combines single-
the students and for future work was when Clemson took the walled carbon nanotubes with a rare organic compound polymer
vehicle to SAE Internationals 2016 World Congress. A number known as carbazole. Inside the scanner, the composite helps
says. When an alkane is present, the alkane molecule likes to sit
in between the polymers, and that increases the spacing between
the nanotubes. When that happens, Bunes adds, fewer charges
are able to make the trip between electrodes, signaling a change
Photo credit: Dan Hixson, University of Utah College of Engineering

in the electrical current. That change lets the detector know that
alkane is present.
Bunes says the team picked carbon nanotubes because of
their high surface area to volume ratio, as well as their high
conductivity. The other thing that the carbon nanotubes gives
us is that their structure is conjugated so its easy to get stuff
to stick to it, he adds. That enables us to functionalize [the
nanotubes] with the polymer.
While carbon nanotubes have great structural properties, it
was difficult to figure out how they would behave. So difficult,
in fact, that the results of their experiment ended up being the
opposite of the teams hypothesis. Carbazole is a very strong
electron donor, Bunes says, so the team expected the electrons
Ling Zang, a materials science and engineering professor at to go from the polymers to the carbon nanotubes. But instead,
the University of Utah, holds up his research teams prototype the electrons went from the nanotubes to the carbazole, which is
handheld detector, which incorporates a new composite material frankly bizarre, Bunes says. Figuring that out was huge.
that can help sense alkane fuel, a key ingredient in gasoline, What makes the Utah researchers scanner stand out is the very
airplane fuel and homemade bombs. small amount of polymer on the surface of the carbon nanotubes,
whereas others look like a big chunk of polymer according to
transfer electrons from one electrode to the other. The goal, he Bunes. Rather than looking like a complete film, our material
says, is to make it difficult for charges to move. looks more like spaghetti noodles on a plate, Bunes explains. Its
In order for a charge to move from one of our electrodes to very, very porous [and has] a very, very high surface area. Thats the
the other, it has to jump through these nanotube junctions, and major advantage of our sensor over others the increased porosity
the nanotubes are separated by two layers of polymer, Bunes and the increased surface area improves the sensitivity.
I am grateful to all of my employees thru the years

for their support which allowed me the time to
contribute to the composites industry and the ACMA.
2016 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Michael Mike Hood
714-979-7681 | HOODMFG.COM
Bunes says the technology can be used to monitor crude oil
pipelines, many of which are currently monitored with sensors
that are based on pressure, which only makes them good for
detecting large leaks. He envisions putting small scanners along
the backbone of an oil pipe to monitor small leaks that are largely
undetected. Bunes adds that the scanners could also be used
Photo credit: Jeff Fitlow, Rice University staff photographer

throughout the fuel system of an aircraft to detect leaks, which
would cut down on time locating and repairing those leaks.
The scanners are currently being commercialized by the
teams spin-off company, Vaporsens. According to Bunes, there
has been global interest in the scanners. He says the next step is
to continue to improve the quality of the composite material.
Vaporsens is also developing the next iteration of the detector,
which it hopes to begin selling next year.
Rice Melts the Ice

Project: De-icing helicopter blades
James Tour, right, works with students in his lab at Rice
School: Rice University University.
Location: Houston
Principal Investigator: Jim Tour
successfully melted the ice. The researchers reported that the
I n late January, more than 10,000 flights across the eastern

United States were canceled due to winter storm Jonas. Planes
cant fly if the wings are covered in ice. However, thanks to
composite withstood heat higher than 200 F and remained
strong even at 600 F.
However, Tour says in the event of an actual flight, the GNR-
experiments led by James Tour, a professor at Rice University, epoxy composite wouldnt need to reach those temperatures. For
there may be a solution for future storms. wings or blades in motion, the naturally-occurring thin layer
Tour and his students have found an efficient and cost- of water between the heated composite and the blade surface
effective way to melt ice on helicopter blades with nanoribbon is enough to loosen ice and have it fall off without completely
impregnated polymers. They coated a section of a helicopter melting the ice.
blade with graphene nanoribbon (GNR)-infused epoxy resin But it is not as simple as just applying the blended materials
to test its ability to remove ice through Joule heating. The and cranking up the heat. According to Tour, he and his team
nanoribbons are produced by another process invented at had to adapt the properties of their helicopter blade, which had a
Rice unzipping multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Once the metallic nickel shield. Tour says that the nickel shield shorted out
nanotubes become unzipped, they split open longitudinally into any voltage applied to it, causing the current to go through the
graphene nanoribbons. shield instead of the composite skin. The solution was to secure
The team determined through previous research that the nickel shield to the blade with a thin film of epoxy. Tour
graphene nanoribbons, which are incredibly conductive, would believes the experiment wouldve been easier had the blade been
interconnect and conduct electricity across a GNR-epoxy made with an epoxy-based composite.
composite with lower loadings than traditional additives. That While the experiment focused specifically on helicopter
eliminated the need for large, expensive graphene sheets. blades, Tour believes the technology could be used in any aircraft
Even if you had a large sheet of graphene, you wouldnt get components, including the entire skin. One wouldnt need all
Joule heating along it, Tour explains. What creates Joule heating, these chemicals and all this other de-icing, says Tour. You just
he says, is the resistance created by two nanoribbons touching flick a switch and everything gets warm and de-ices. You could do
each other. this in-flight. You could turn it off in-flight and turn it back on if
Conductivity is also important. Without it, says Tour, the you start getting icing. No problem.
coated part will explode if struck by lightning. As a bonus, the Tour believes the technology has wide market potential if the
coating also provides an extra layer of electromagnetic shielding. right investor steps up: I think eventually [the technology is]
However, the graphene nanoribbons make up only five percent of going to be in all of composite aircraft.
the GNR-epoxy combination, which Tour says is a good thing.
One could probably get away with less, Tour says. Any
time you want a nanomaterial additive, the less you can use, the
better. He says the success of the experiment is based on how
well the graphene nanoribbons and epoxy are blended. The better
they are blended, the fewer nanoribbons you need.
After spreading the coating, the team applied a small
voltage to the blade. Through Joule heating, the coating
delivered electrothermal heat to the surface of the blade and
The Shape of Things to Come The rolyPOLY was a collaborative effort between Wit,
Project: Flexible shelter Kim and Mariana Ibaez, an associate professor at Harvard
School: Temple University University in Cambridge, Mass. To make the shelter, the team
wound 12,000-strand prepreg CFRP tow around a pre-fabricated
Location: Philadelphia modular frame made with steel modules that can be easily
Principal Investigators: Andrew John Wit recycled or reconfigured. However, Wit says the frame wasnt
and Simon Kim optimal, so they developed a robotic winding pattern consisting
of three repeating steps: peak winding (to generate a stable CFRP
A s the old adage goes, there are two sides to every story.
However, for a group of researchers
framework), valley winding (to connect the structures low points
and tension the initial CFRP layers) and
Photo credit: Andrew John Wit

who created a 20-pound, single-occupant spiral winding (a high-tension third layer
shelter by hand and robotically winding of CFRP on all the intersecting panel
CFRP, there are exactly eleven sides. The edges, minimizing layer delamination).
shelter gets its name, rolyPOLY, because In order to achieve a similar level of
you can roll it onto any of its sides and still structural stability that you would get
get inside. from a vacuum bag or a really robust cored
The rolyPOLY project started as a larger formwork, we had to create a system that
research initiative at Ball State University required double curvature of the surfaces,
in Muncie, Ind., known as the One Day Wit says. Every surface had to be double
House a robust, intelligent, adaptable yet curved to allow for a really strong overlap
affordable housing system made by robotic of material. After lots of testing, the
fabrication of composites. Most of the team realized it needed all three different
installations were small, recalls Andrew John winding patterns to collapse the CFRP tow
Wit, who started the project at Ball State. fibers onto each other.
When Wit came to Temple, he and Simon After completing one full winding
Kim, an assistant professor at the University cycle, the winding direction was flipped
of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, decided to Using CFRP made it easy for researchers 180 degrees and restarted. After winding,
see how big they could make the structure to robotically wind the rolyPOLY without the structure was baked in a 6.5 x 5 x
with the tools at their disposal. wasting too much time or material. 5-foot gas-fired kiln at 260 F. Upon
The ceramics department has to use their kilns all of the time,
says Wit. With the prepregs short bake time, we could sneak
into their schedule for four hours or come in the middle of the
night, throw something in and be out before anybodys even back
and not disturb their process of working.
While the rolyPOLY resembles a cool art installation, its
much more than aesthetically interesting. Wit and his peers are
testing the potential for robotically-wound CFRP in architecture
applications. The visual and tactile elements that you can
achieve with CFRP translate very nicely into architecture, he
says. Were looking at minimizing the complexity that goes into
the construction of a detached dwelling.
cooling, the structures steel formwork was removed from the Evan Milberg is communications coordinator for ACMA. Email
composite shell. comments to emilberg@acmanet.org.
The researchers chose the prepreg CFRP due to its
workability, consistency, stability, curing attributes, minimal
toxicity and strength. However, a literal sticking point with Wit
was the teams ability to reduce waste.
Want to Hear About
We could work with [the prepregs] more hands-on without More Research?
having to worry about wasting resin and dripping resin all over
CAMX 2016 will feature a Poster Session
the place, Wit explains. Also, we could specify the exact resin
consistency that we wanted in the tow. [During the winding where the next generation of researchers,
process], the fibers were tacky and would stick to each other engineers and industry professionals share innovations in
pretty well, but there werent pools of resin, which made it a material science and composites. For more information
really simple, yet interesting material to use.
on CAMX, which will be held Sept. 26-29 in Anaheim, visit
Preserving time was just as important as preserving materials,
so they chose materials that required only a four-hour bake time. thecamx.org or see the article on page 35.
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Printed
Possibilities
As it goes mainstream, additive manufacturing opens
new opportunities for the composites industry.
By Mary Lou Jay
I
n one sense, theres nothing new about additive manufacturing structurally-sound structures that you cant make any other way.
of composites, since hand lay-up and automated lay- Manufacturers utilize composites because of the great
down are both additive processes. But the type of additive mechanical performance they get in strength-to-weight ratios,
manufacturing thats grabbing industry headlines today often stiffness-to-weight ratios, etc. Combine that with additive
referred to as 3-D printing is very different from conventional manufacturing, and they can eliminate some of the problems
manufacturing methods. inherent in todays manufacturing methods, says Timothy
Using a design stored in a CAD file, additive manufacturing Schniepp, business development director for composite tooling
equipment adds successive layers of a material (liquid, powder, at Stratasys.
sheet materials) to fabricate a 3-D object. There are many Most conventional methods to produce composites are
different ways to do this, from selective laser sintering (powder extremely labor intensive; not only does it take significant
bed fusion) to sheet lamination (laminated object manufacturing) amounts of time and money to produce such structures, theres
to material extrusion (fused deposition modeling) and binder also variability any time theres direct touch labor involved
jetting (the original 3-D printing). Today, the term 3-D printing in building high-performance parts, says Schniepp. When a
has become almost interchangeable with additive manufacturing composite structure is built for an aircraft, for example, a good
and encompasses all of these methods and more. percentage of its costs involves inspections and quality tests. As
While additive manufacturing has been around for more than we move toward additive manufacturing, not only do we get
30 years, its only recently that the industry has taken a closer rid of all that touch labor and time involved, but we should, in
look at composite materials. theory, cut out a lot of that variability.
Theres lots of excitement about composites today, says Composite materials allow greater flexibility. You can design
Lawrence Gasman, founder and president of SmarTech Markets and combine multiple parts into a single build to really optimize
Publishing, which follows the industry. The dynamic within designs for an application, as opposed to most conventional
the industry is to move to ever more complex materials as a way manufacturing methods, which optimize parts so that they can be
for the materials companies and through them the equipment manufactured, he adds.
companies to get a competitive advantage. Two years ago, the Most 3-D printing companies, including Stratasys, are
hot topic at additive manufacturing conferences was metals; this beginning their work with composites using short fiber-
year its composites. reinforced materials. You dont have to deal with cutting fibers,
Gasman says one reason for the increased interest is that and the tool paths for building a part are a little less complex,
major industrial labs capable of working with composite materials says Schniepp. As you move to continuous carbon fiber
are beginning to do more work with additive manufacturing. In reinforcement for critical applications such as high-performance
addition, while companies currently use the technology primarily structures, your requirements will continue to get more stringent.
for prototyping, the focus is shifting to small volume production The challenges are in printing the part with a continuous fiber
of complex parts. Composites are a good fit for such applications. reinforcement that results in a structure with higher quality,
When you bring 3-D printing and composites together, you sufficiently low porosity and proper consolidation while meeting
get something more than the sum of the parts, says Gasman. dimensional and other specific application requirements. Those
Potentially you could make grids within grids; you can make are the things that were working to address.
As part of the
Department of Energys
National Rotor Testbed,
research students at
the Oak Ridge National
Laboratory 3-D-printed
this turbine blade tool.
Stratasys plans to adapt some of additive manufacturing to produce high-
Photo credit: Boeing Research and Technology

its current 3-D printers to handle performance parts with better strength-
composites and also develop new to-weight ratios than metals and with
platforms better able to take advantage resistance to chemicals and temperatures up
of these materials. to nearly 300 C. But working with the high
temperatures involved in PEEK printing
Adding Strength meant the company couldnt use its typical
Hemant Bheda, CEO of AREVO ovens and other equipment. In addition,
Inc., began exploring 3-D printing PEEK powders exhibit a different behavior
with composites when trying to make and rheology than others, which affects the
a very strong seal for a customer printing process.
in the oil and gas industry. To do Impossible Objects employs what is
that, we had to have control over the fundamentally a graphic arts process in its
orientation of the fiber, he says. I composite-based additive manufacturing
asked myself, Is this even possible? process (CBAM). It uses conventional
Then I came across 3-D printing thermal inkjet heads to print designs on
technology and saw it as the answer. sheets of reinforcement, like carbon fiber,
Using additive manufacturing, Kevlar or fiberglass. Each sheet is then
Bheda can control the orientation of flooded with a polymer powder causing the
This 3-D-printed umbilical bracket used
the composite fiber, optimizing the powder to stick where inkjet fluid has been
on the all-composite Boeing 702SP
strength-to-weight ratios and producing satellite establishes the electrical interface deposited. Excess powder is vacuumed off,
higher-performance seals that have and supports the harness and connector and the sheets are stacked, compressed and
improved the speed and efficiency of between the satellite and launch vehicle. heated. The polymer powder melts and
the customers equipment and reduced bonds the sheets together. The uncoated
maintenance and downtime. fibers are then mechanically or chemically removed, leaving a
Bheda says one problem with additive manufacturing has been durable, lightweight object.
that most equipment prints the part only in an XY plane, resulting Although the company is not printing in large volumes today, it
in weakness in the Z plane. AREVO has addressed that by has produced small runs of objects like propellers for large drones.
developing a printing tool with a six-axis robot (and the software to But thats just for now. Swartz observes that high-speed inkjet
control it) that can print continuously along curved surfaces. printers can produce 15,000 to 18,000 sheets an hour, and he
AREVO is focused on production parts rather than hopes to reach similar speeds using CFRP. That will actually allow
prototyping. The company has produced a 3-D-printed fuel you to be substantially faster than it would be to injection mold,
intake runner for automaker Polimotor fabricated from Solvay he says.
Specialty Polymers KetaSpirepolyetheretherketone (PEEK).
The printed PEEK part weighs 50 percent of the original Slashing Tool Production Time
aluminum part. We were able to prove that this technology The Department of Energys National Rotor Testbed project
works in an environment that is high in heat and requires employs additive manufacturing of tools to produce wind turbine
chemical resistance, says Bheda. blades. Project partners include Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Due to concerns about infection in hospitals, AREVO also is (ORNL), Sandia National Laboratory, TPI Composites and
printing single-use composite surgical guides to replace the metal Wetzel Engineering.
guides that are autoclaved and reused. 3-D printing allows the Today, the blades on energy-generating wind turbines are all
single-use composite parts to be optimized for each patient. made in the same shape. Researchers have found that changing
the shape of the blades throughout the field could improve their
Faster Printing Technologies efficiency, but the cost of creating different tools for each blade
The team at Impossible Objects has been developing its new have been too high.
3-D printing technology for six years. Our goal has been to Were trying to show that with large-scale additive
improve the typical 3-D or additive manufacturing processes manufacturing you can significantly reduce the cost of the tooling
in areas like speed, material properties and material selection, so that you can have as many different types of blade designs as
says Bob Swartz, chairman, founder and CTO. Composite you want, says Lonnie Love, corporate fellow and group leader,
materials, it turns out, have properties that made them extremely ORNLs manufacturing systems research group. Researchers at the
appropriate and applicable to what we were doing. Manufacturing Demonstration Facility are currently using ORNLs
When you start thinking about additive manufacturing, you Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) equipment to print
realize very quickly that its a material science problem, and when tools for 12 different 50-foot turbine blades.
you think about material science problems clearly composite have Tool manufacturers now start with a fiberglass, foam or wood
immense advantages over the typical polymers alone. So you ask plug, then coat it with fiberglass to produce a long, thin mold that
if you can exploit that in some way, and the answer seems to be requires a steel frame to support it. The process takes many months
yes, he says. and costs can exceed a million dollars. When its time to actually
Impossible Objects will use PEEK polymer carbon fiber in produce the blade, the manufacturer must integrate long runs of
heating wires on the tools backside to heat up the resins and cure Meeting Tough Specifications
the composite part. Boeing has been conducting R&D in additive manufacturing
With BAAM, ORNL produces the tool directly. The 3-D since 1997. It currently uses 3-D-printed parts made from
printed design includes air ducts where heaters and blowers can be various materials on 10 different military and commercial aircraft
inserted to cure the resins, so there is no need for the extra wiring production programs.
for heating. The printed tool is structurally supportive, too, so it 3-D printing offers great potential to reduce the cost
doesnt require a metal support cage. and weight of aircraft structures and to improve the ability of
We are removing many of the steps that they typically have to engineers to design parts purely for their eventual function in a
go through for manufacturing molds, cutting costs and enabling vehicle system, says Dr. Leo Christodoulou, Boeing materials
them to innovate a lot faster than theyve been able to do in the and manufacturing chief engineer. It enables the design and
past, says Love. Manufacturers are most excited about the time production of integral structures, converting an assembly and
saving potential; while conventionally produced blade tools take several structures into one piece.
months, even a year to produce, BAAM can produce a tool in Boeing suppliers are using selective laser sintering to make
about a week. small reinforced polymer parts for environment control system
Love expects the final cost of the 3-D-printed molds to be very ducts (ECS) for both military and commercial aircraft. Additive
close to the costs of conventional production. ORNL researchers manufacturing is now a qualified process at the company for
are looking at ways to reduce them even more by using glass fiber the all-composite, all-electric 702SP (small platform) satellite.
instead of carbon fiber to reinforce the polymers. That could cut Additive manufacturing provides a mass or cost advantage over
the materials costs in half, making additive manufacturing even conventional fabrication processes for these particular parts on
more attractive. these products, says Christodoulou.
When the molds are complete, ORNL will ship them to TPI While 3-D printing composite parts offers many possibilities,
in Fall River, Mass. After TPI makes the blades, it will ship them there are still challenges in the broader ecosystem of 3-D printing
to a wind farm in Texas. Transporting blades is expensive 20 to that have to be overcome, says Christodoulou. These include
30 percent of their production cost but additive manufacturing design engineering training and guidelines, maturation of user-
might be able to help there as well, says Love. Manufacturers might friendly software, control over material properties and accuracy,
someday be able to move the additive manufacturing tool-printing specifications and the certification of parts. The volume and rate at
equipment and the blade production facilities from wind farm to which 3-D parts can be produced must be improved as well.
wind farm as needed. One key requirement for the aircraft companys wider adoption
Photo credit: Tuxyso/Wikimedia Commons
of the technology is stabilization of the 3-D printing processes technology, thats probably not the best use of the technology. The
and qualification of the components it produces to Boeings question one would have to ask is why would you want to make
exacting standards. We are deliberate and thoughtful about the one million of the same thing? says Bheda.
introduction of additive manufacturing parts and have a rigorous Swartz says that Coca-Colas new bottles, printed on an inkjet
process for qualification, says Christodoulou. printer and featuring dozens of different names, sayings and
designs, offer a glimpse into the possibilities of 3-D printing.
The Potential is Great Many additive manufacturing systems use some variation of inkjet
Perhaps the biggest hurdle to additive manufacturing is that its printers, so theres no reason composite part manufacturers couldnt
more expensive than traditional composites manufacturing, but eventually offer similar customization and personalization for each
thats likely to change. item they produce.
I believe that today the cost is artificially high, but once The composites and the 3-D printing industries are
it starts to get market priced there is no inherent factor that only beginning to unlock the potential of combining these
contributes to cost other than the speed, Bheda says. So once technologies. I think the composites industry is willing to adopt
we solve the speed problem, there is no reason why additive that technology, but Im not sure if the 3-D printing industry
manufacturing ought to be any more expensive than any other understands composite technology well enough yet, says Dietsch.
process. As a matter of fact, you can argue that it ought to be lower Its really exciting right now to see these two worlds getting
cost because you eliminate the cost of tooling. The process also together and sharing ideas because of the higher performance
dramatically reduces material waste and is more energy efficient applications that we will begin to see.
than other production methods. As people begin to understand the capabilities of composites
The cost-effectiveness of additive manufacturing depends in 3-D printing, they will come up with new ways of using
on the shape of the part, says Ben Dietsch, president of Nona them, adds Swartz. When the internet first came out, nobody
Composites. Its more affordable to machine something that is a could conceive of something like Facebook, he says. I think
fairly simple shape, but once the complexity and the depth of the those are the kinds of breakthroughs that are going to come.
part start to increase, thats where you see more affordability from a Someone will see some use [for additive manufacturing] that
3-D-printed tool. none of us ever imagined.
Additive manufacturing also offers the potential for mass
customization. While it may someday be possible to quickly and Mary Lou Jay is a freelance writer from Timonium, Md. Email
inexpensively produce large quantities of the same item with the comments to mljay@comcast.net.
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CAMX Meeting of the
Minds
In its third year, CAMX continues to expand and offer

something for everyone.
By Evan Milberg
T
he career of a composites industry provide a North American platform for
journeyman can take one all across composite products, solutions, networking and
North America. For Robert Rambo, advanced industry thinking.
the compression/composites plant manager at For Rambo, CAMX will offer a unique
Cambro Manufacturing, it has included jobs in chance to meet with many of the contacts hes
Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Kentucky and currently made over the years during what he calls the
southern California. Along the way, hes gained ultimate meeting of the minds.
experience in pultrusion, compression molding, I have had some of the best scrap
RTM, vacuum infusion and more. But rarely has reduction ideas come from these meetings,
he had access to experts in all of those processes Rambo says. Not to mention all the raw
in one place. material improvements others have tried and shared with me,
From September 26-29, Rambo will get that chance by giving the companies I have worked for the competitive edge.
making the short drive from Huntington Beach, Calif., to Rambo points to when was he was in Toledo, Ohio,
this years CAMX The Composites and Advanced Materials partnering with Owens Corning to build sunrooms. Using roving
Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. from Owens Corning helped improve the sustainability and
The show, now in its third year, is co-produced by ACMA throughput of the material while also reducing scrap. Rambo also
and the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process found helpful online resources, which combined with using Six
Engineering (SAMPE). It was created to unite the worlds Sigma greatly improved Cambros scrap rate in future projects.
composites and advancedmaterials communities, and to Rambos company has also improved its workforce
Preston and his team believe that
providing access to information
can potentially have the greatest
social impact of any engineering
program in the world today.
He is a composites expert with
nearly 120 patents (including
patents pending), and his work
includes extensive developments
in guidance and sensing
technologies, materials science,
composite fabric technology and
ram-air inflated wings.
Renowned architect Greg
Lynn also will speak at CAMX
Marcio Sandri, vice president and managing Dr. J. Gary Smyth, executive director of Live. Lynn has been a leader
director of glass reinforcements for Owens global research and development at General in the acceptance and use
Cornings Composite Solutions Business, speaks Motors, presents his keynote address
of advanced materials and
about the state of the composites industry during at CAMX 2015. Smyth highlighted the
technologies for design and
the general session at CAMX 2015. importance of market disruption.
fabrication in architecture.
Much of his work can be seen
development efforts based on knowledge gained at CAMX. [At in prominent design and architecture museums, including the
CAMX,] I was able to discuss different options on how to set up Canadian Centre for Architecture, the San Francisco Museum
training certification programs, says Rambo. That made a huge of Modern Art and the Chicago Museum of Modern Art. For
difference in our skill set and training retention in the composite the past few years, Lynn and UCLA architecture professor
industry processes, which before was handled through employee Julia Koerner have been exploring the integration of composite
training experience by more of a trial-and-error process. materials in architecture with UCLA students.
Matt Chambers, president of Design Concepts (formerly JRL Rounding out CAMX Live will be Gregory Haye, the general
Ventures Inc.)/Marine Concepts, has also seen his business grow. manager of Local Motors Materials and Process Development
He credits CAMX for exposing him and his company to a wide Center of Excellence. During Hayes tenure at Local Motors, the
range of new suppliers and customers, including some in the company has emerged as a leader in 3-D printing composites
automotive industry, the composites segment of the simulation for automotive applications. Last year, Local Motors unveiled its
industry and companies that specialize in RTM. I think what LM3D Swim, the worlds first 3-D-printed car series, which has
happens with a show like CAMX is you get such a broad range of impressed policymakers on Capitol Hill.
people researching composites, says Chambers. You draw good However, the general session will not be your only chance
talent, good suppliers, good potential customers. to hear about composites innovation. CAMX 2016s featured
CAMXs growth is something that resonates personally with sessions also will run the gamut of relevant hot button topics
Chambers, as his company has been looking to expand beyond in the industry, including aerospace, recycling, 3-D printing,
the marine market. To me, CAMX is doing the same thing that material advances, automotive trends, design and simulation,
were doing [it has] diversified, says Chambers. wind energy industry growth and workforce development.
According to David Fullwood, a mechanical engineering
Whats New? professor at Brigham Young University who serves on the
One of the ways CAMX is diversifying this year is by CAMX Joint Programming Committee, 2016 will offer a wide
engaging young people through the all-new CAMX Race. array of education sessions to choose from. We are hosting
During the race, students and young professionals will use their an unprecedented number of panels and featured sessions this
mobile phones to answer trivia questions as they stop at different year to give the attendees a highly interactive environment for
exhibitor booths. The fastest group with the most questions connecting with the latest and greatest advances in technology,
correct wins cash prizes. says Fullwood. Specifically, CAMX will offer more than 250
This years general session also represents the evolution of conference sessions covering more than 100 topics spanning the
CAMX. Instead of a singular keynote speaker focusing on one entire composites and advanced materials industry.
market, the general session known as CAMX Live will
include a panel of innovators and industry leaders, a la TED Exhibit Hall and Awards
Talks, that will share insights on how composites are changing According to Steve Rodgers, a consultant at ZyynTek Sensors,
the world. CAMX has grown because ACMA and SAMPE have fully
One of the speakers at CAMX Live will be Luminati developed every aspect of the show, as opposed to zeroing in on
Aerospace CEO/CTO Daniel Preston. He created the company one element. Many of the world-class events in our industry
to provide a platform for internet connectivity to billions of concentrate on either the conference or the exhibition, says
people in the world who do not have access to internet services. Rodgers. CAMX does both and does them both very well. There
is so much good content that it is like a three-ring circus.
This year, the exhibit hall will feature about 550 exhibitors,
including booths displaying some of the latest composites
innovation. At booth B106, the Awards for Composites
Excellence (ACE) will showcase outstanding developments in
design, manufacturing and market growth. This years finalists
feature developments in pultrusion, 3-D printing, architectural
and automotive composites, thermoplastics and out of autoclave
(OoA) technology, among others. At booth M98, the CAMX
Award recognizes two cutting-edge innovations that will
significantly impact composites and advanced materials. (For a
full list of winners, go to thecamx.org/awards-competitions.)
CAMX also will feature the largest closed mold and advanced
process live demonstration at an industry trade show. If you want
to see composites in action, these demonstrationswill give youa
first-hand look at processes used in market segments like marine,
transportation, aerospace, consumer goods, recreation, corrosion,
infrastructure and architecture.
Once the exhibit hall closes on Thursday, September 29, A CAMX 2015 attendee checks out SeaHEX acarbon fiber-
make sure to attend the CAMX closing luncheon, featuring body, waterproof, floatingdronecapable of capturing HD video in
a panel of student speakers sharing ideas on how composites a variety of environments.
and advanced materials can continue to change the world. Its
also a great chance to do some networking before you head
home. the [CAMX] app and do your planning in advance in order to
Rodgers says theres a lot to take in, but thanks to the maximize the value of your experience.
CAMX app, hell be prepared. Certainly, if one is limited to
one industry conference per year this one is worthy of the most Evan Milberg is communications coordinator for ACMA. Email
serious consideration, he says. Just be diligent to get hold of question to emilberg@acmanet.org.
COMPOSITES EUROPE
11th European Trade Fair & Forum for
Composites, Technology and Applications
Visions become reality.
29 Nov 1 Dec 2016

Messe Dsseldorf, Germany
www.composites-europe.com
Organised by Partners
Plotting the
Road Ahead
The FIBERS Consortium outlines a plan for growing
composites manufacturing in the U.S.
By Dr. James Sherwood and FIBERS Team
G
rowing U.S. composites manufacturing requires the methods, materials, predictive modeling and workforce
development of a strategic plan derived from input development. An expanded list of topics and additional details
from all of the key stakeholders. In 2014, the National will be available in a final report that will be submitted to NIST
Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) funded a project in the coming months.
critical to that growth, and the FIBERS Consortium (Facilitating
Industry By Engineering, Roadmapping and Science) was born. Advancing Processing Methods
The FIBERS Consortium is headed by five U.S. universities Currently, raw material conversion and polymer matrix
with composites manufacturing expertise: Iowa State University, composite processing consists of manual and automated
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Delaware, methods with varying levels of process monitoring and control.
University of Massachusetts Lowell and University of New During company visits, the FIBERS team discovered that
Hampshire. These universities have worked with companies of current manufacturing trends include heavy use of liquid
all sizes across the supply chain from raw materials to field- composite molding, out-of-autoclave molding, flexible and hard
service applications to compile a comprehensive roadmap of automation, and thermoplastic materials.
growth opportunities and associated challenges within the U.S. A major opportunity/challenge for the industry is to develop
composites manufacturing industry. ACMA also was a key player, new and innovative manufacturing processes. Understanding
working hand-in-hand with the FIBERS Consortium to facilitate the physics associated with a processing method is paramount
its mission. to developing the innovations that can lead to reduced costs and
To understand the U.S. composites industry and develop a increased throughput rates, and thereby provide a pathway for the
sound growth strategy, the FIBERS team explored the industry U.S. to become a leader in composites. Advances in composite
through online surveys, regional workshops attended by more manufacturing, nondestructive evaluation, bonding and repair,
than 200 people, site visits to several manufacturing facilities and and recycling are crucial for the successful and accelerated
participation in professional conferences. The first online survey, adoption of composites beyond high-end aerospace markets
completed by more than 350 industry professionals in November and for the expanded use of composites in wind. In the 2014
2014, focused on prioritization of industry challenges. The survey, two of the six most important challenges identified were
second, completed by more than 80 people in November 2015, reducing variability in processing and new-process development.
focused on prioritization of actions. Likewise, a vast majority of respondents in 2015 indicated
This article provides an overview of some of the findings that new processes are required for growth. With widespread
of the FIBERS roadmapping activities related to processing adoption of composites, the need for faster, cheaper and more
The Path to Growth in the Composites Industry
Actionable
Solutions
Process
Automation Modeling &
Controls
Challenges
To Be
Overcome
Low-Cost
Non-
Carbon and Increase Reduce Destructive
Hybrid Fibers Availability Cycle
of Qualified
Primary Time Inspection
Workforce
Driver:
Lightweighting
Mitigate
Reduce
Waste
Variability
Material
Workforce
Material
Training
Standards
Programs
Upward
Mobility to Sustainability
Retain Skilled Planning/
Workforce Life Cycle
Inventory
robust processing methods become critical for high-volume, low- exhibit final performance properties that are highly dependent on
cost production scenarios. Cost and sustainability concerns are the processing conditions. Companies and the U.S. government
driving manufacturers to reduce the amount of raw materials, recognize the need for rapid, low-cost carbon fiber production,
waste, energy and consumables associated with processing. which was identified as one of the most important action items
Recycling technologies, including pyrolysis and solvolysis, are in the 2015 survey. Two-thirds of respondents cited the need for
being developed to reclaim expensive fibers from scrap and new resins to reduce processing time and lower per-part cost.
end-of-life parts. Raw materials (fiber, resin, core) are currently The need for shorter process cycle times and lower labor costs
expensive, have highly variable processing requirements and can is driving industry toward automation. As a result, automation is
Growth Forecast for the Composites Industry
Industry surveys conducted by the FIBERS Consortium in 2014 and 2015 identified two sectors as offering
the greatest growth opportunities for composites: automotive and infrastructure. The aerospace sector is
anticipated to lead composites with the highest penetration.
Automotive Growth will require widespread use of automation to meet the high-volume, low-cost
requirements of the auto industry and will drive the increased use of modeling of composite manufacturing
processes to design and tune these processes. The development of low-cost carbon fiber is one of the major
requirements to realizing the maximum benefit of weight reductions. Weight reductions on the order of 40
percent over todays metal-structure vehicles are possible through the combination of composites and the
resulting weight drop of the mechanical systems used on the car. Automation and cycle-time production
under 2 minutes will require R&D into new quick-curing resins and forming processes.
Infrastructure Similar to the large turbine blades in the wind energy sector, composites in infrastructure
require the materials to come at a low cost per unit weight and exhibit a long service life. The size and scale
of these composite structures, including bridges and roads, require resins with cure times that allow time for
fully wetting the part, which is in contrast to the fast cure needed by the auto industry.
Aerospace Aerospace has been a leader in the use, processing and advancement of composite materials.
This very high penetration of composites use is anticipated to continue. Together with the military sector,
these composites will continue to set the bar for performance. The higher-cost applications of aerospace
materials are critical for pushing the envelope in performance and new processes, which will enable
technologies to migrate to sectors that are constrained by lower cost requirements.
While the marine, wind, and sports and recreation sectors can continue to grow, it is not anticipated that
growth in these sectors will be as significant. However, all sectors should benefit from the advancements
in materials, processing, automation, modeling and workforce development that will be led by the auto,
infrastructure and aerospace markets.
Anticipated Composites Penetration by Market Segment and Year
2030
High
2020
2015
Medium
Low
Automotive Infrastructure Aerospace Rail Military Sport/Recreation Marine Wind Energy
expected to grow in all composite manufacturing sectors over the next foreign competitors especially in the European Union,
15 years, with high penetration especially in automotive and aerospace. where government support for composites is very high
Despite increased market demand and opportunities for Share Department of Defense knowledge in composites
advanced composites, significant challenges exist in the U.S. for manufacturing automation with U.S. industry
replacing traditional engineering metal alloys with composites. Set up regional technology centers with process and
The following four primary challenges were identified in the simulation capabilities and technical support services for
2015 survey in order of importance: use by SMEs
Reduce cycle time Without significant movement on these items, many industry
Reduce material/part variability applications will struggle to adopt composites into their design.
Mitigate waste Collaboration among industry, academia and the government are
Expand the workforce that is trained in the design critical for successful development and implementation of game-
of composite structures and the design of associated changing processes in the U.S. composites industry.
manufacturing processes for those structures especially for
complex part geometries The Future of Materials
Composite material systems are rapidly evolving to increase
Nondestructive evaluation methods, including ultrasonic the performance of existing systems notably higher strength
imaging and acoustic emissions need to be widely used as a means carbon and glass fibers as well as to develop new material
of quality control during manufacturing. A common concern systems, such as resins that can function in high-temperature
by many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) visited environments. Innovation in material formats is co-evolving with
by the FIBERS team was that capital equipment, engineering, the increased utilization of automation and out-of-autoclave
energy and material costs are too high. Unlike some industries (OoA) processes.
that recognize the benefits of research collaboration, such as Automation requires materials with tight tolerances and low
the semiconductor industry, fears about intellectual property variability to produce parts with minimal intervention during
protection are forcing many companies to duplicate research and the manufacturing process and thereby realize the full promise
development or use outdated processes and approaches. Smaller of in-service performance benefits. OoA processing is gaining
firms are also faced with limited to no access to new equipment traction in numerous industries due to dramatic reductions in
and analysis capabilities, thereby limiting their ability to explore void volume fractions that approach those of parts processed by
and justify the cost of new-process adoption. autoclave. Thermoplastic composites are increasingly deployed
Research investments devoted to cost reduction and increased for potential decreased cycle times and increased recyclability.
productivity are priorities for development of new processing The choice of materials used in composites manufacturing
methods. Industry, academia, government agencies and non- is primarily driven by industry requirements and government
profit associations should collaborate on the following: investments and regulations. Industrial requirements for materials
focus foremost on cost reductions enabled by lowered raw
Development of low-cost carbon fiber manufacturing materials costs, as well as attractive processing parameters, such
processes to accelerate non-aerospace applications as short cycle times, low processing temperatures and zero scrap
Development and implementation of robust predictive rates. Government investments in composites manufacturing
modeling, non-destructive evaluation and smart should aim to increase sustainability via recycling efforts and
automation capabilities bio-derived material sourcing and to substantially reduce the
Development of methods to mitigate or eliminate part embodied energy.
defects, followed by implementation of more process Domestic government regulations are currently directed at
control and reduction of incoming raw material variation limiting styrene and other organic vapor emissions. The FIBERS
from the supply chain team anticipates that manufacturers will eventually be responsible
Demonstration of technologies necessary in automation for costs associated with end-of-life solutions for many of their
and robotics, process sensing, monitoring and control, and composite parts. Such a responsibility provides the incentive to
process simulation develop and use sustainable material formulations that accommodate
Adoption of lean manufacturing principles recycling (or remaking) as opposed to sending to landfills.
Materials challenges for todays composites industry revolve
The federal government should: around cost, cycle time, processing bottlenecks, standardization,
reduced variability, sustainability and protection of corporate
Increase funding to train both engineers and technicians in intellectual property and trade secrets. The cost of materials,
composites manufacturing particularly carbon fiber and epoxy resins, are prohibitively high
Provide long-term support for R&D activities to assist the for widespread use in market segments such as wind power and
U.S. composites manufacturing industry to be on par with automotive. Processing cycle times are a consequence of resin
viscosities that define fill time, the length of time required to the models of in-service performance, manufacturers could use
reach and hold cure temperatures, and lot variability. a virtual manufacturing environment to examine the benefits
Lot variability forces users to always bias to the most extreme and consequences of such changes as material choices, processing
condition to design for the worst-case scenario, which errs conditions and capital equipment options before going down the
on the side of a long cure time. These issues invite negative long and expensive path of product and process development.
comparisons when referenced to steel or aluminum within the Currently, predictive modeling tools for composites fall
automotive industry. The integration of feedback control can into three categories: structural analysis, manufacturing process
help reduce the negatives of lot variability. simulation and life-cycle analysis. The structural modeling tools
Two-thirds of survey respondents prioritize the development for predicting part stiffnesses and completing stress analyses are
of new resin materials, with the primary aim to reduce process relatively mature, but their use by SMEs has been limited for
time and decrease part cost. These new materials, however, reasons cited previously. The modeling tools for process simulation,
often require costly certifications of both material systems and predicting in-service fatigue life and life-cycle inventory (LCI)
processes that are a barrier to even large industry members. are still emerging. LCI refers to examining the environmental
While industrial participants expressed conceptual interest in impact of a composite product, and an LCI model can be used to
material recyclability and sustainable practices, few economic quantify the energy use and material efficiency. Currently, life-cycle
options are presently available. Therefore, many companies studies of composites lack the granularity needed to include major
cannot make a business case for significant investment. constituents found in thermosets and thermoplastics. As a result,
The FIBERS team identified actions in three domains that designers and developers of composite products cannot easily use
build on industry strengths and overcome barriers: reduction of these tools. In addition, use of these tools is limited because only a
materials costs, reduction of materials variability and development small fraction of the constituent materials have been characterized
of new resins. Three-fourths of respondents prioritize alternatives to provide the needed inputs to these models, and many of those
to current carbon-fiber manufacturing techniques to lower its characterizations are incomplete.
cost for new market segments, while 40 percent of respondents The objective to decrease product development costs while
are proponents of a similar effort for glass fibers. Half of those improving performance compared to existing composite and
surveyed advocate for designing material performance standards metal products is the driving need for development of improved
that enable the transition between alternate materials that are predictive tools and for increasing their use across the industry.
functionally equivalent. Material variability must be distinguished Improved predictive simulations can reduce the current practice
from processing variability. Prioritized actions for material of overdesigned parts, thus reducing material usage both waste
variability include increasing consistency of material inputs and and the amount of material in the product life-cycle. Industry also
formats, as well as development of materials that facilitate defect needs to respond to the driver of greater stakeholder expectations
reduction in composites. for environmental improvement of composites, recycling and the
Concerning the development of new resins, two-thirds general link of greater life-cycle benefit to lower product total costs.
of the respondents desire acceptance criteria specific to the Indirect drivers for the use of LCI models include international
composites industry, and a majority endorse the development expectations for environmental product declarations, government
of new and improvement of existing standards for composites policies on purchases and financial institutions perception of the
component materials and for criteria specific to certain industry benefit of clear environmental profiles.
segments. More efficient and less expensive approaches to The widespread adoption of predictive modeling tools faces
qualify composite materials, such as experimentation informed challenges that include the lack of material data inputs and of a
by modeling, should be pursued. Finally, though respondents general recognition of the advantages that can be gained from
did not prioritize recycling or other life-cycle materials issues, such modeling. Currently, processes rely heavily upon in-house
the issue was consistently raised as a looming concern among experience and the design-build-test process. The reliance on
workshop participants, so research into new materials addressing past experience limits the vision of possibilities for process and
environmental concerns should be pursued. part design to what is known from past history. Virtual models
can expand the range of possibilities. Also, industry is generally
Innovations in Predictive Modeling Tools unable to demonstrate and communicate the environmental
Modeling tools are a valuable resource for investigating benefits of new composite products. Both process simulation and
new composite designs and processing methods. These tools LCI tools are hampered by a universal concern over the lack of
provide manufacturers a virtual environment to redesign existing availability of a standardized material database. Cost and access to
processes or add new ones that can facilitate improvements in training in the proper use of some of the tools is also a concern.
the manufacturing process. Unfortunately, these tools are often The implementation of demonstration projects and
underutilized for such reasons as limited access to the tools, lack initiatives, which include the use of predictive modeling tools,
of qualified personnel with experience using them or lack of can educate industry about the capabilities of these tools and
awareness that the tools even exist. show their value in expediting the design of manufacturing
By linking the modeling of the manufacturing process to processes. Additionally, it is important to expand materials
databases to include the properties needed by these simulations. college unaware of composites manufacturing as a career.
Ideally, a central clearinghouse for the data should be freely Education and training programs may not be tailored to match
available: a collaboration of federal agencies, such as the regional industry requirements, despite a significant fraction
Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the of workers remaining geographically local to their respective
Department of Commerce, NASA, the National Transportation educational institution. No national standards or accreditation
Safety Board and/or IACMI would be the obvious groups to body exists for the industry, which hinders uniform education
underwrite such an initiative. standards and transfer of skills between composites companies.
Life-cycle predictive tools also need further development. The manual, complex and craftsman nature of composites
The availability of representative, non-proprietary composite life- manufacturing impedes the influx of employees from other
cycle inventory data for the largest composite end-use product manufacturing sectors. Many design engineers are unfamiliar
groups is needed. Data is required for the majority of chemical and uncomfortable with the design flexibilities associated
constituents and composite assembly techniques. It is critical to with composites, and this restricts the broad adoption of
develop life-cycle profiles of composite recycling and benefits in composites. Until there is a significant population of engineers
recycled or repurposed composite materials. with knowledge on how to design composite parts and who
understand the processes used to make such parts, growth in the
Developing a Skilled Workforce number of composites applications will continue to be slow.
The composites workforce resides along a spectrum from Continual growth of the composites industry requires
no composites-specific training to engineers with doctoral skilled labor at all levels. Almost 70 percent of companies report
degrees. Graduates at all levels with composites knowledge challenges in the availability of a qualified workforce. While
tend to be hired before graduation. However, the alignment of expected hiring is greatest for high school graduates, a quarter of
education and training programs with industrial requirements is respondents expect to hire at the masters and doctoral levels.
variable and results in mismatches between worker skillsets and Moreover, 70 percent of companies report a challenge in
manufacturer needs. retention of their qualified workforce, and transfers to other
Currently, high school graduates enter the workforce or industries exacerbate the skills shortfall within the composites
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good sector. These transfers are driven by the physical aspects of the
vibrations work environment, as well as pay differentials with other industry
segments. Company size correlates with length of employment; the
median employment at companies with retention of less than one
Adhesive Resists Vibration,
year is 150 employees, while companies with greater than 1,000
Impact And Shock employees have median employment tenures of five to 10 years.
Improvements in recruitment, retention and workforce
development require a large foundation of well-structured
EP21TDCF-3 workforce training programs, engaged industrial/educational
High strength partnerships and educational outreach in the domestic
Toughened composites industry. Greater than 80 percent of industry
Low viscosity respondents prioritize the generation of composites transfer
Cures at room temperature pathways between high school, community colleges and
universities. More than half the respondents rank high the
development of co-op and internship programs focused on
industry input and certification programs that prioritize
industrial relevance.
Each partnering education institution must have personnel
motivated to establish these pathways and programs, who
are actively engaged with and responsive to their industrial
counterparts. Academic institutions with plans to continually
update content with industry input will improve the
154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA competitiveness of their alumni. Industry, likewise, should reach
+1.201.343.8983 main@masterbond.com
out to academic institutions and engage in long-term, sustained
investment in strategic partnerships. Large majorities of industry
www.masterbond.com respondents prioritize re-training of the existing workforce in
transferable skills and the establishment of pathways for upward
mobility of employees throughout their career as vital to the
retention of a qualified workforce.
The future of composites manufacturing is one in which new
college graduates enter the workforce with a broad, relevant and
up-to-date knowledge of composites manufacturing methods and
materials. Projects to achieve this future include development of
industry-led standards for accreditation, creation of pathways to
climb the employment ladder and development of instruction
modules to increase composites visibility and teach a generation
of design engineers how to incorporate composites. Putting
these enabling projects in motion is the goal of a comprehensive
workforce development plan.
Be Part of the Revolution!

If you would like to learn more, meet the FIBERS team at
CAMX in booth H95 in the University Pavilion. The team
also will present findings from the industry roadmap project
at an educational session on September 28. If you would
like to become involved, the FIBERS team is organizing
several demonstration projects and initiatives to seed
the technical advancements that will help expand the
composites industry. Connect with the project team online
at www.uml.edu/fibers or email patrick_drane@uml.edu.
Next Steps
In the first FIBERS workshops, industry professionals
challenged the team to not just deliver a roadmap, but to
facilitate initiation of concrete proposed actions. This is the
first priority for the consortium. All proposed activities will
involve a broad range of stakeholders, from OEMs to material
suppliers and education experts. Many projects will require
significant funding.
The FIBERS team, working with ACMA and many workshop
participants, is pursuing the development and implementation
of more than 30 demonstration projects and initiatives. One
demonstration project is fabrication of a composite inner
hood for the automotive sector made at cycle times and costs
on par with the steel and aluminum parts they will displace.
The objective is to bring the component from concept to
market within two years. This project will engage participants
throughout the supply chain, including OEMs, material
suppliers, tooling, automation and modeling.
Another area of focus is boosting the availability of a qualified
workforce. A project team is working on an education initiative
to develop composites and processing modules that can be
deployed within existing college curricula. Education modules
can be easily implemented by teachers and faculty through off-
the-shelf modules that contain full lesson plans, a bill of materials
for laboratories and example questions. Initially these modules
may focus on undergraduate and graduate courses, but they can
be expanded to support high school, community college and
short-course programs.
Working together, the roadmap can be implemented to
grow composites manufacturing industry in the U.S. and use
composites materials to meet and exceed national objectives for
energy, fuel efficiency and performance.
Article Authors
Dr. James Sherwood is Associate Dean of
Engineering and Co-Director of the Advanced
Composite Materials and Textiles Research Lab at
The University of Massachusetts Lowell and Principle
Investigator of the FIBERS grant. Email comments to
james_sherwood@uml.edu.
The FIBERS Team members contributing to this

article include:
Patrick Drane, Kari White, Christopher Hansen
and Jennifer Gorczyca of UMass Lowell
Daniel Walczyk of RPI
Michael Overcash of Environmental Clarity Inc.
Munetaka Kubota and Suresh Advani of
University of Delaware
Vinay Dayal of Iowa State University
Inside ACMA
ACMA Announces CM
Membership Awards Editor Upcoming Events
Wins
J oin us for the pre-CAMX ACMA
Awards Reception on Monday,
September 26, from 5:30 7 p.m.
Award
Composites
September 26-29, 2016
CAMX
Manufacturing Anaheim, Calif.
at the Anaheim Marriott. Theevent
willrecognizethe exceptional people who Managing Editor
Susan Keen November 29 - December 1, 2016
have done their part in making the field
Flynn has won ACMA Exhibits
of composites a great industry. This years
an APEX Award in the Technical & at COMPOSITES EUROPE
winners are:
Technology Writing category for her Dusseldorf, Germany
article, Thermoplastics Are on the Rise,
Outstanding in the September/October 2015 issue January 11-12, 2017
Volunteer Award: of the magazine. The article provided ACMAs Composites
Perry Bennett - insight into how and why the composites Executive Forum
Health, Safety and industry is transitioning to increased use
Washington, D.C.
Environmental of thermoplastic resins.
Director,
April 4-5, 2017
Molded Fiber Glass
Pultrusion Conference
Companies
Atlanta, Ga.
Hall of Fame
Award:
Highlights from Industry Digest
Matt Chambers If you dont have time to surf the internet for the latest composites news, dont
President, Design worry. ACMA has you covered with Industry Digest, a weekly e-newsletter that
Concepts/Marine brings you the latest news in the composites industry. Here are the top four Industry
Concepts Digest stories from the past few months.
Solar Impulse 2 Complete Journey:

The Solar Impulse 2, which was made with composite materials, completed the
worlds first round-the-world solar-powered flight.
Lifetime
Local Motors Self-Driving Car:
Achievement
At Local Motors new facility in National Harbor, Md., the company unveiled Olli
Award:
a self-driving, 3-D-printed electric car made with composites.
Michael Hood
President, Hood Disneyland Park Uses Composites:
Manufacturing Inc. One of the most talked-about areas of the new Disneyland Park in Shanghai is
(HMI) Tomorrowland, which features buildings and rides made with composites.
(Read more about the project in the article on page 8.)
Origami Canoe:
A Dutch company launched a Kickstarter campaign to improve one of its unique
Thanks to our sponsors, Bestbath,
products a composite canoe that folds like origami.
Johns Manville and North American
Composites. To get stories like these in your inbox every week, subscribe to Industry Digest
by going to myacma.acmanet.org/nf/new. You can also check out the column at
compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com/category/columns/industry-digest/.
New Members
Alpena Community College
Oscoda, Mich.
Denali, Inc.
Tulsa, Okla.
Dynaglass Reinforced Plastic Pte.
Ltd.
Singapore
Edon Fiberglass
Horsham, Pa.
Neuvokas Corporation
Ahmeek, Mich.
Old Town Fiberglass, Inc.
Orange, Calif.
PSI Composites
Tavares, Fla.
For more information on becoming

a member of ACMA, email
membership@acmanet.org or call
703-525-0511.
ACMA Educates
Rhode Island DOT
D uring the Composites Alliance of
Rhode Islands July infrastructure
workshop, ACMA and members
Creative Pultrusions Inc., Hughes
Brothers Inc., Sika Corporation and
Composites Advantage made an impact
that will influence the future of Rhode
Islands infrastructure.They presented
an introduction to FRP composites
used in infrastructure applications, such
as bridges, girders, marine piling and
concrete repair and strengthening.Among
the nearly 90 attendees at the workshop,
led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.),
were the governor of Rhode Island,
various congressmen, state representatives,
the director of the Rhode Island
Department of Transportation (DOT) and
a representative from the U.S. DOT.
Inside ACMA
ADHESIVES AND SEALANTS

ADVANCED A PIONEER AND LEADING MANUFACTURER
FORBONDING COMPOSITES, OF INNOVATIVE SPRAYABLE SYNTACTIC

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THERMOPLASTICS, METALS AND MATERIALS AND SPRAYABLE
ark your calendar for April 4-5,
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High impact resistanceH[LELlity, Sprayable ller/primers for use on working together to put on a workshop
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Reduced cycle times and bonding include a robust conference program with
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Brushable and sprayable radius materials networking activities.More information
will be available shortly.
IACMI Members
Meeting
Plexus and SprayCore adhesives, sealants and sprayable syntactics... improve product
D uring the July IACMI Members
Meeting in Indianapolis, IACMI
reported on progress against its objectives
quality/durability while increasing manufacturing efciencies and reducing VOC emissions!!!
to commercialize advanced composites
technology to grow use in automotive,
Plexus brand is proud to be certLHG by...
www.itwadhesives.com wind and compressed gases.ACMA
members and IACMI leadership also met
to review their joint communications
plan, recycling program and workforce
development plans. For more information,
696233_ITW.indd 1 6/3/14 5:43 AM contact Dan Coughlin at dcoughlin@
acmanet.org.
Advertising Index
Advertiser - Page
Airtech International.............................................. 45
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Composites Europe.............................................. 37
Composites One.................................................. IFC
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GS Manufacturing................................................ 21
Hood Manufacturing, Inc...................................... 26
IP Corporation/North American Composites......... 28
ITW Plexus........................................................... 48
Janicki Industries.................................................. 44
LEWCO, Inc......................................................... 29
M.V.P. Magnum Venus Products........................... 33
Manufacturers Supplies Company........................ 5
Master Bond........................................................ 44
Mektech Composites Inc...................................... 48
Polynt Composites............................................... 7
Hexion Inc. Reichhold, LLC2................................................... 10
SAERTEX USA..................................................... 9
Technical Fibre Products, Inc................................ 11
The R.J. Marshall Company.................................. 47
Thermwood Corporation...................................... 43
Distributor for Hexion Inc. U.S. Polychemical................................................ 15
Weibo International............................................... 47
Wisconsin Oven Corporation................................ 13
BC=Back Cover
www.hexion.com IFC=Inside Front Cover
IBC=Inside Back Cover
Hexion Inc.
The American Composites
Manufacturers Association is
the worlds largest composites
industry trade group. We
are manufacturers, material
and equipment suppliers,
distributors, academia, and
end users.
We serve our members and
the industry by promoting
the competitive advantage
and versatility of composite
materials. Together we
JOIN US TODAY!
are shaping the future of
composites.
CONTACT ACMAS MEMBERSHIP

DEPARTMENT AT
703-525-0511
OR EMAIL US AT
MEMBERSHIP@ACMANET.ORG
THE VALUE LEARN MORE AT
OF ACMA WWW.ACMANET.ORG
MEMBERSHIP:
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WASHINGTON, D.C.
UPCOMING ACMA EVENTS:
MARKET INTELLIGENCE
NOVEMBER 9 - 11, 2016
ACMA Exhibits @ CompositesWorld,
A LARGE NETWORK Carbon Fiber conference
Scottsdale, AZ
NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 1, 2016

CERTIFICATION AND ACMA Exhibits @ COMPOSITES EUROPE
EDUCATION Dusseldorf, Germany
JANUARY 11 - 12, 2017

Composites Executive Forum
Washington, DC
APRIL 4 - 5, 2017
TAKE PART IN OUR CONVERSATION Atlanta, GA
/CMMAGAZINE
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By Dr. James Sherwood and FIBERS Team

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