Carbon Fiber Knowledge
The latest from the world of advanced composites and carbon fiber technology.
Recycling carbon fiber composites has moved from a laboratory curiosity to an industrial-scale operation, driven by tightening environmental regulation, rising virgin fiber prices, and brand commitments to circular supply chains. For a procurement or sustainability engineer, the decisiv
For over a century the marine propeller shaft, or shaft line, has been a solid steel component: a long bar of corrosion-resistant steel or bronze connecting the engine to the propeller, supported along its length by bearings. It works, but it carries every torque pulse, every bend, and
The root joint is the single most heavily loaded connection in a wind turbine blade. Every bending moment and shear load generated along the blade converges at the root, where the blade must transfer them into the hub through a circular array of bolted connections. In a modern large bla
Germany's carbon fiber supply chain is a case study in how industrial capacity and end-market demand can become badly misaligned. At the peak of the BMW i-series program, German automakers and their Japanese partners operated some of the largest carbon fiber production capacity in the w
Hydrogen storage is one of the defining engineering problems of the energy transition, and composite pressure vessels have emerged as the leading solution for onboard and mobile storage because they achieve the highest gravimetric and volumetric efficiency of any practical containment t
Thermoplastic composites have gained ground in aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications because they offer a fundamentally different processing route than conventional thermosets: instead of a long chemical cure in an autoclave, a thermoplastic part is melted under heat and pr
Endurance is the defining constraint of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — for surveillance, agriculture, delivery, and long-range inspection missions, every additional minute of flight time translates directly into mission capability. Lithium battery energy density has improved only inc
Quadruped robots have moved from research labs into working roles: pipeline inspection in refineries, warehouse patrolling, construction site surveying, and payload delivery over rough terrain. What all these roles have in common is a demand for legs that are light enough to be swung qu
Every quarter, CompositesWorld's composites demand surveys track order momentum, capacity utilization, and inventory positions across the industry's main market segments. The July 2026 reading is the most instructive of the mid-cycle period: it captures a market that has cooled from its