Quickstep Technologies has signed a development agreement with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. The University will test Quickstep's manufacturing process and will be the first Quickstep cell with an emphasis on aviation applications. Quickstep uses a low pressure, heated water system to cure composites, significantly reducing the time and cost compared to traditional autoclave curing.

GKN Aerospace has decided to fund a facility expansion at its East Cowes, UK site, in preference to its operations in the United States and other parts of the UK. GKN's expertise in composites has resulted in the award of some major contracts, one of the most significant being the wing spars for the Airbus A400M. The East Cowes area is home to a number of other composites companies, including SP Systems, Vestas and a variety of marine companies.

The FY 2005 U.S. Defense Appropriations bill includes $1 million (USD) for the development of composites for naval applications. The Structural Reliability of Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (FRP) Composites in Ship Assemblies program is developing methods to reliably design and manufacture large FRP composite parts for ships. The program focuses on two main issues: the ability to produce large parts with consistent properties; and the ability to handle material property variability in ship design.

As the Farnborough Air Show approaches, Boeing and Airbus continue to trade jabs about their new aircraft. In addition to potential weight problems on the A380 and concerns over the high use of composites on the 7E7, both companies also argue the other receives too many government subsidies. Boeing claims Airbus no longer needs the same government support it received 30 years ago, while Airbus claims Boeing has received huge subsidies from Washington state.

Just six months from the start of test flights, and less than a year before its first scheduled public flight, the Airbus A380 is still overweight by as much as 4 metric tons. The excess weight would hurt aircraft efficiency, resulting in financial penalties to Airbus. Engineers, however, are still working to shave weight off of the plane. About 25 percent of the A380 is made from composites, including carbon/epoxy and Glare, and fiberglass/aluminum laminate.

The Composites Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) is offering a one-day workshop titled Compounding and Molding of Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI on Monday, September 13, 2004. Read more...

JumpStart Inc., an entrepreneurial development and funding organization, has made an investment in Stanton Advanced Ceramics LLC and is providing additional business development services. Stanton Advanced Ceramics has developed a patent-pending technology for producing thermally shock resistant high temperature ceramic matrix composites (CMC). This technology is currently targeted for the markets of refractories, advanced ceramic applications and fuel cell insulators.

The U.S. Army Picatinny Arsenal has awarded Goodrich Corporation a contract for the development of mortar barrel segments incorporating the FyreRoc composite material system. FyreRoc composites can be used at temperatures up to 1000 degrees Celsius; their first commercial use was on fire-rated wood doors.

ATK is the first advanced composite company in the aerospace industry to gain accreditation from the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (Nadcap). It received accreditation only after a thorough independent review of its composite fabrication and adhesive bonding processes and procedures.

Airbus engineers are claiming Boeing has rushed the development of the 7E7 Dreamliner. In particular, they say composite technology is not mature enough to build an all-composite fuselage. But the claims may be no more than a marketing ploy, in response to Boeing's criticism of weight overruns on the Airbus A380. For example, one Airbus VP stated that carbon composites are often no more than "black aluminum," providing little advantage over conventional materials. While that may be true in some cases, that is a design decision, not an inherent problem with the materials, and there is no evidence presented that Boeing is using that approach.