Carbon Fiber Knowledge
The latest from the world of advanced composites and carbon fiber technology.
The most economical wind energy in Europe is often the wind that is already being harvested. Across Germany, Spain and the rest of the onshore fleet, thousands of turbines built in the early 2000s still stand on prime wind sites with functional foundations, proven grid connections and d
The breathing cylinder is the heaviest single component a firefighter carries, and for decades the industry accepted that weight as the price of safety. A fully charged steel SCBA cylinder weighing more than seven kilograms, mounted on a backplate with a regulator and a full face mask,
The Digital Product Passport is the European Union's most ambitious data instrument for the circular economy, and it is no longer a distant proposal. Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which entered into force in July 2024, the European Commission is empowered to m
Uzbekistan sits at an inflection point for advanced materials. For three decades the country built its industrial identity around raw cotton and natural gas exports, but government policy has shifted decisively toward domestic value addition: textiles are now processed locally rather th
Autoclaves have shaped the aerospace composites industry for four decades, but they are also its most expensive bottleneck. A large autoclave costs millions of dollars, consumes enormous energy, and limits part dimensions to the envelope of the vessel. Widebody aircraft programs need wi
Architecture has been a late but enthusiastic adopter of carbon fiber. For decades carbon fiber reinforced polymer was associated with aerospace structures, racing cars and high-performance sporting goods, while buildings relied on steel, concrete and timber. That division is dissolving
Peru is not the first country that comes to mind in a global review of carbon fiber demand, but its market profile is becoming increasingly interesting for composite suppliers. The country is the world's second largest producer of copper, it operates some of the highest-altitude mines o
Carbon fiber composites are prized for their strength-to-weight ratio, but they are not immune to the environment. Every polymer matrix — epoxy, vinyl ester, bismaleimide, thermoplastic — absorbs moisture from humid air and liquid water, and absorbed moisture acts on the matrix in ways
Small satellites have changed the economics of space. Where a conventional communications or Earth observation spacecraft might take years to design and months to assemble, a modern small satellite constellation is built in batches, on a schedule closer to automotive production than to