Industry News
We’ve partnered with the folks at Composites World to bring you monthly updates in the more technical world of carbon fiber.  Here’s what’s new this month:
Don’t call it a blimp!
The builders of this variable-buoyancy craft count on carbon fiber/epoxy trusswork to enable a new era of air transport.
Machining update: One-shot dry drilling of stacked materials
Tool design innovations tighten tolerances and cut costs for those who drill composite-metal assemblies.
VX Aerospace: Small company, big performance
Innovative design, OOA manufacturing and C-PLY laminate construction produce “big fabricator†aerostructures in fewer steps at low cost.
DolphiCam included in Boeing 787 NDT manual
Norway-based DolphiTech’s DolphiCam ultrasound camera system has been included in Boeing’s 787 non-destructive testing (NDT) manual.
Composites carry the Curiosity rover to a safe Mars landing
From launch to touchdown, composites performed in flight and stuck the landing!
Canadian research group mounts composite radio telescope
The 15m/49.2-ft carbon fiber dish is said to be the largest of its type in the world and is among three prototypes being developed for the international Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project.
SGL ACF, BMW and Washington state officials break ground on the third building at the SGL ACF site
The building will house lines five and six, each 1,500 tons capacity, to bring the entire site up to 9,000 tons capacity by the end of 2015.
Airbus working group maps out composites recycling strategy
Through the group, Airbus hopes by 2020-2025 to send 95 percent of carbon fiber composite waste through a recycling channel, with 5 percent of that to be recycled back into the aerospace sector.
Boeing Frederickson to build 777X composite tail
The Seattle Times reports that Boeing will build the carbon fiber composite tail for the 777X in the same Frederickson, Wash., plant in which it manufactures the 787 Dreamliner tail.
Report: Sandvik Coromant composites machining course
Sandvik Coromant, working with subsidiary Precorp, offered a three-day training course in April on the latest technologies for machining and drilling of composite materials.
FORMAX opens Automotive Production Facility
Carbon fiber reinforcements specialist FORMAX has opened its new 5,000-sq-m Automotive Production Facility for the manufacture of bespoke multiaxials.
Toho Tenax TENAX TPCL laminates qualified for A350 XWB
The laminates, made with PEEK resin, will be used on the composites-intensive wide-body Airbus aircraft.
Aeroindustryjobs: Jobs of the month, May, 2014
Week of May 6:Â Aerospace-related job opportunities at Rolls-Royce High Temperature Composites Inc., Argosy International Inc., GE Aviation and Lamsco West Inc.
Week of May 13:Â Aerospace-related job opportunities at Cytec Aerospace Materials, Hexcel, Exelis, Boeing and Eaton.
Week of May 20:Â Aerospace-related job opportunities at Toray Carbon Fibers America, Hexcel, Cobham, Cytec Aerospace Materials and GE Aviation.
Week of May 28:Â Aerospace-related job opportunities at Aurora Flight Sciences, GE Aviation, Exelis and Toray Composites America.