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Composites Weekly

Composites Weekly is an online podcast published each week by industry expert Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan has served as consultant in the composites industry for over 12 years. He brings you the latest news and information in the world of composites and provides interviews of leading manufacturers and distributors in the industry.
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Now displaying: 2019
Nov 25, 2019

This week, we welcome Dr. Robert Doneker of Tangitek, LLC, a technology start-up located in Portland, Oregon USA. They develop carbon fiber composites for the aerospace, electronics, defense, communications and consumer products industries.

On this episode, we'll be discussing their MF-RAMTM, a lightweight thin electromagnetic absorbing flocked carbon fiber material used for EMI/RFI suppression in electronics and as radar absorbing materials.

As wireless communication devices and automation become more common, high-performance shielding materials that are lightweight, thin and durable are needed to manage growing EMI. New materials are needed to facilitate the development of new mobile, wearable, wireless communication devices, and products in the aerospace, automotive and consumer industries.

TangiTek has developed lightweight, magnetically loaded, flocked carbon fiber composites as microwave absorbers in the 300 MHz to 30 GHz frequency range. These CF composite absorbers will have immediate use in aerospace industries where even marginal weight savings has the potential to provide a large payback.

TangiTek is one of twelve companies that won the (ASA(ALT)) Army xTechSearch Phase III challenge for its technology. 

You can learn more about them by visiting http://www.tangitek.com/

 

 

Nov 15, 2019

This week I welcome Dave Salvaggio and Lyle Brummer of SpeedKore Performance Group on the show. SpeedKore is an American Performance Company where engineers and artisans combine traditional craftsmanship with cutting edge technology.

They specialize in custom performance vehicles, carbon fiber composite part manufacturing, and engine integration.

SpeedKore manufactures the highest quality carbon fiber upgrades, exceeding OEM quality standards. Designed and manufactured in America.

Each of their builds follows the signature SpeedKore recipe: reduce weight and increase horsepower.

The SpeedKore advanced composite team sheds weight from each vehicle with custom, lightweight prepreg autoclave carbon fiber. The increased power is achieved through pairing the updated, lightweight chassis with fine-tuned, high-power drivetrains specifically modified for each vehicle.

On this episode, we'll be discussing the history of the company and their process for designing carbon fiber composite parts. 

You can learn more about them, by visiting them at speedkore.com. 

Nov 5, 2019

This week I welcome Brian Gaughan of IntegriCo Composites on the show to discuss how their patented technology is using recycled landfill-bound plastic to create composite railroad ties that far exceed industry standards for high consistency and structural integrity.

Their products are formulated from extremely tough plastic, and the specialized, low-heat process used by IntegriCo preserves the properties of plastic that make it such a strong and versatile raw material.

Their railroad ties provide benefits for all major rail tie applications from the extreme loading conditions of Class I heavy axle load applications to the caustic environment of an industrial chemical processing plant. 

On this interview, you hear Brian share the history of their company and how they are diverting and reusing landfill-bound plastic to create extremely durable products. To date, they have reused over 80 million pounds of plastic since 2009! 

Oct 25, 2019

This week I welcome Tom Wright, director of business development for Bedford Reinforced Plastics (BRP) on the show to discuss the benefits of FRP (fiber reinforced plastics) over traditional building materials such as wood, steel, and aluminum. 

BRP is a company that offers a wide variety of structural products made of fiberglass-reinforced polymer, including PROForms® structural shapes, PROGrid® molded grating and PROGrate® pultruded grating. Their staff of skilled design, engineering and manufacturing professionals has been dedicated to helping customers maximize the benefits of FRP. 

You can learn more about their company by visiting them at https://bedfordreinforced.com

Oct 21, 2019

This week I welcome Chris Camfferman, managing director of marketing for Deckorators, a company that manufactures composite decking using their patented "Eovations" technology. This technology provides the best stiffness-to-weight ratio and lowest thermal expansion/contraction of any thermoplastic deck board available. 

Deckorators composite decking is composed of a mix of polypropylene and calcium carbonate, which is used instead of wood fiber to prevent moisture absorption and minimize thermal movement.
In this process, the polymer-mineral blend is extruded and stretched. The resulting cavitation creates tiny air pockets that keep the
board lightweight as it takes on a fiber-like structure similar to wood for superior strength.

The result is a fibrous composite board that looks and works like wood. At the same time, each board is:

  • 35 percent lighter than most wood-plastic composite decking and similar in weight to PVC.
  • Twice as strong as PVC decking in terms of stiffness-to-weight ratio for superior durability.
  • Extremely stable with the lowest thermal expansion/contraction of any thermoplastic deck board.

On this interview, Chris will be sharing the background of Deckorators and how their Eovations technology is creating a superior product. 

You can learn more about their company by visiting them at www.deckoroators.com

 

Oct 7, 2019

On this week's episode, I welcome Greg Paulsen of Xometry on the show to discuss how their proprietary software platform enables product designers and engineers to instantly access the capacity of a network of manufacturing facilities. This software makes it easy for all customers — from startups to Fortune 100 companies — to access manufacturing on demand by providing the most efficient way to source high-quality custom parts.

We'll also be discussing Xometry's Carbon DLS™, a technology that unlocks new business opportunities and product designs previously impossible, including mass customization and on-demand inventory. 

The Carbon Platform enables companies to bring products to market that were never thought possible.

You learn more about Xometry by visiting them at https://www.xometry.com.

Sep 20, 2019

This week, we welcome Matthew Butterman on the show to discuss the growing role of composites in the Bicycle fabrication industry. Matthew is the news editor of Handbuilt Bicycle News and a 25-year veteran of the bicycle industry. He is also the current News Director for the Philly Bike Expo. On this episode, we'll be discussing how new carbon fiber technologies are benefiting the bicycle industry through better performing frames.

The use of carbon fiber composites in this $48 billion worldwide industry is growing every day. Particularly for high-end racing and performance bicycles, carbon fiber is the go-to material.

The popular narrative holds that carbon fiber bikes are made in Asian factories.
 
While most raw carbon fiber is sourced from Asia, a growing number of small, boutique bicycle frame builders in the U.S.. are working with carbon fiber exclusively. These handbuilt bicycle craftsmen are drawn to carbon fiber because of its orthotropic (different properties in multiple directions) nature, as opposed to the isotropic (same properties in all directions) nature of metal bicycles. 
 
On this episode, Matthew and I will be discussing the history of carbon fiber in this industry as well as some of the newer advancements with hybrid composite technologies that combine carbon fiber with other lightweight fibers that provide resistance to impact damage. 
 
Aug 24, 2019

On this episode, I am pleased to welcome Tim Kenerson of AIT Bridges. AIT is an engineering and manufacturing company that supplies advanced composite materials for bridges while providing low-cost solutions to an aging infrastructure industry. 

On this episode, we'll be discussing the addition of a composite tub girder to its composite bridge system offering.

The new technology has been developed in cooperation with The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. The tub girder (named as such as its wooden mold is shaped like a bathtub) can now be used for about 80 percent of bridges around the US and has many advantages over conventional steel and concrete girders. They are resistant to corrosion and can be manufactured to be as strong as needed.

Ken is the Senior Design Engineer at AIT and has been with the company for almost 7 years. He coordinates with Consultant Engineers and Owners on the project design process and manages the engineering team who works together to bring the project from concept to contract. 

You can learn more about AIT by visiting their website at https://www.aitbridges.com/. 

Aug 21, 2019

This week Marlo Stradley of Power Blanket joins me on the show to talk about his company and how they are helping manufacturers protect valuable equipment and fluids from freezing and overheating.

Marlo has been with Power Blanket for 6 years and has a 30-year career in the Aerospace industry. He's worked with NASA and other Aersospace customers for composite launch structures. 

On this episode, we'll be discussing how Power Blanket is helping their customers prevent project setbacks and unnecessary costs associated with adverse weather conditions by providing total temperature control.

Aug 12, 2019

This week, I welcome Anvesh Gurijala and Kedar Murthy of Boston Materials to talk about their company as well as the Supercomp™, a drastically toughened carbon fiber composite that overcomes many of the shortcomings of traditional 2D composites. This new 3D reinforced prepreg features enhanced interlaminar and Z-axis properties that deliver greater performance and functionality at a low switching cost.

This super composite is formed by coating a standard carbon fiber fabric with milled carbon fibers. The milled fibers are vertically oriented by using a proprietary process. These Z-axis milled fibers mechanically pin the layers of a laminated composite together, drastically increasing the interlaminar fracture toughness.

May 14, 2019

This week we welcome Andrew Mullins and Andy Phillips on the show. Andrew is the president of VISIONknit, a leading technical knitting company based in Toronto, Canada. Andy Phillips is the president of Composite Creations. These companies have worked together to launch the world’s first 3D knitted canoe.

The VISIONknit 3D knit canoe provides lightweight, sustainable construction, at a competitive price point using a patent-pending hybrid Kevlar-polyester material, called KR18. 

This new technology has potential in many other composites industry applications as well and we'll be discussing these on the show. 

Along with the savings on production time, there is also a reduction in material waste by knitting pre-shaped parts, eliminating labor costs in a traditional layup process. 

Feb 28, 2019

On this episode, we welcome Matt Guiaraffa on the show to talk about their company Guerilla Gravity, a mountain bike manufacturing company whose design philosophy centers around a high level of refinement and focus on efficiency. They creat bikes that are built to last, and are easy to work on.

Their new Revved Carbon Technology, which has been in development and testing for the last three years, combines an innovative, patent-pending manufacturing process to create the next generation of carbon fiber mountain bikes that are 300% more impact resistant. Their patented system enables the company to make at least four frames a day and allows them to offer a significantly less expensive frame than other brands.

Matt will be sharing the background story of Guerrilla Gravity, and their process for offering an American made, higher quality affordable frame for the mountain bikers everywhere.

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