A look at innovation, achievement, and ideas in manufacturing and the composites
industry
by Rebecca D’Amico and Monica Cardenas
Not Another Fad
“Precast on a Diet” Tours U.S.
As an interesting marketing strategy, structural grid manufacturer TechFab,
and AltusGroup—a partnership of five leading precasters and TechFab, formed
to develop innovative precast technologies—went on a nine-city tour of
the U.S. to further advance the use of C-GRID™ carbon fiber reinforcement
in precast concrete. The “Precast on a Diet” tour lasted over two
weeks, stopping in Washington, D.C.; New York, N.Y.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Raleigh,
N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Cincinnati, Ohio; St. Louis, Mo.; and Chicago,
Ill. A key element of the tour included a 73-foot long flat bed precast product
viewing trailer, which featured precast concrete wall panel samples, architectural
panels, a mock double tee deck, and a residential stem deck. Daylong seminars
were held at each stop, highlighting and demonstrating CarbonCast precast carbon
fiber made using C-GRID reinforcement. CarbonCast™ is a new precast technology,
using conventional steel for primary reinforcing and C-GRID resin-bonded carbon
fiber grid for secondary reinforcing and shear transfer. The new product boasts
greater long-term durability, lighter weight, finer finishes, improved insulating
properties, and greater sustainability than traditional precast products. The
improvements in weight, durability, and sustainability come from the product’s
use of C-GRID reinforcement, a non-corrosive grid with a tensile strength of
87-255 KSI. C-GRID is an epoxy-coated composite grid made with cross-laid carbon
fiber, manufactured by TechFab. The AltusGroup reports that CarbonCast components
reinforced with C-GRID are thinner and up to 66 percent lighter, have up to
five times the tensile strength of steel reinforcement, and minimize shrinkage
cracks up to 50 percent better than steel mesh. They are also more environmentally
friendly because they are made with local materials and industrial and post-consumer
waste, deliver higher insulation values, and use less forming material and concrete.
The “Precast on a Diet” tour reached over 300 attendees from nearly
250 companies, including attendance by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin at the
Atlanta stop. To further C-GRID outreach and education efforts, another tour
is being planned for the fall. www.techfabllc.com; www.altusprecast.com
Watching Our Garden Grow
Washington, D.C.’s National Building Museum has launched a one-year exhibit,
The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design, to educate
visitors on environmentally friendly home designs and practices. The 7,000-square
foot exhibit—open May 20, 2006 through June 3, 2007—includes displays
on the 21 most interesting and beautiful “green houses” in the world,
and even has a full-size recreation of the Glidehouse™, which can be explored
by exhibit visitors. The Glidehouse is a single-story, prefabricated house,
created by California-based architect Michelle Kaufmann. The house features
several composite materials, including recycled composites countertops, recycled
agricultural waste composite cabinets, and composite decking. The Glidehouse’s
use of green materials is not the only component that makes it green. The prefabricated
nature of the house results in comparatively little construction waste and allows
it to be easily positioned on site for optimized solar energy. Also, its unique
design makes creates an energy flow that is extremely efficient. In addition
to the home displays, the exhibit offers a Materials Resource Room—a gallery
with 60 different green materials for the home. The goal of this room is to
“de-mystify” the selection of environmentally friendly materials
for homebuyers and designers. Featured materials include Country Floors’
recycled glass tiles, textiles by Maharam and American Clay Plaster, Mioculture
three-dimensional recycled wall paper, coconut palm flooring by Smith &
Fong Plyboo®, recycled rubber flooring by Ecopave, and IceStone® recycled
glass and cement countertops. Another section of the exhibit is devoted to the
“five green principles”—wisely using the land; working with
the sun; creating high-performance and energy-efficient houses; improving indoor
air quality; and wisely using the earth’s material resources. In this
interactive section visitors are encouraged to experiment with a heliodon, a
device that simulates the movement of the sun, in order to visualize how they
might orient their own house to make best use of solar power. During the exhibition
period, the Museum will present lectures, construction watch tours, films, and
a major scholarly symposium on the design and construction of green houses.
The exhibition will also be supplemented with a website focusing on the marketplace,
methods, principles, and history of sustainable design, and a fully illustrated
catalog on green design. www.nbm.org
Play That Funky Composites iPod
It seems everywhere you look today you see someone listening to an iPod. iPod’s
are everywhere, and do just about everything. They play music, videos and games,
and hold your personal calendars, contacts, photos, etc. So, what is the iPod
missing? A carbon fiber carrying case, according to C6 Manufacturing founders
Jason Anderson and Gaston Shealy. Anderson is the lead designer at Dale Earnhardt
Inc. (NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s company) by day, but started
manufacturing non-motorsport items after hours as a hobby. After receiving an
iPod Mini as a gift, Anderson designed a sleek bladder molded carbon sleeve
for his iPod, and then thought about selling them. Shealy, a machinist at DEI,
made all the prototype pieces for iPod Mini cases. Unfortunately, as soon as
they perfected the production of these cases, Apple discontinued the Mini model.
They moved ahead, creating carbon fiber cases for the iPod Nano. Prototypes
for the cases were well received by their friends, so the two formed C6 and
began selling the cases online. They also offer a case for the 5G Video iPod.
The carbon fiber cases have proved popular, and the company has received orders
from around the world. Several companies, including the Apple store, have expressed
interest in distributing the carbon fiber cases at the retail level. Anderson
and Shealy are currently ramping up production beyond the initial batch, and
hope to launch more products that incorporate this high-tech material and elegant
design. For a chance to win an iPod Nano and one of these carbon fiber cases,
visit CM’s booth at COMPOSITES & POLYCON 2006, booth # 1720. www.c6mfg.com
Houston, We Have a Solution
Composite Tanks for Spacecraft Take Off
Although cryogenic tanks can be associated with Walt Disney or Ted Williams,
who were both cryogenically frozen (or at least those are the rumors), these
tanks are also used for aerospace applications. Microcosm, a California-based
aerospace engineering firm, manufactures such tanks as part of the technology
development program for the Scorpius®® family of low-cost, responsive
launch vehicles. Scorpius vehicles are pressure-fed liquid rockets, using liquid
oxygen and kerosene as propellants. The tanks are robust enough to support themselves
and can endure casual handling without problems. The wide vehicle profile also
allows easier movement to the launch pad. Microcosm’s latest project through
this program has been the development and testing of an all-composite liquid
oxygen (LOX) tank for the Sprite Small Launch Vehicle. The Scorpius all-composite
cryogenic tanks are manufactured using an out-of-autclave process, saving labor,
time, tooling, capital, and material costs. Lower material and labor costs also
result from the use of filament winding for the manufacturing process. The company
recently announced that the LOX tank has successfully completed final qualification
tests. The all-composite LOX tank is the main structural element of Sprite,
a vehicle designed for the launch of small (700 lbs) payloads to low Earth orbit
(LEO). Microcosm successfully tested a 42-inch diameter, all composite LOX tank
to nearly four times its operating pressure of 550 psi, testing at cryogenic
temperatures using liquid nitrogen. “This result will allow us to reduce
the weight of the propellant tanks for Sprite and, consequently, increase the
mass to orbit by over 30 percent” reported Maj. Gen. (ret.) Jack Kulpa,
president of the Scorpius Space Launch Company. According to Kulpa, this would
result in a projected performance of approximately 1050 lbs. to low Earth orbit
(LEO) for a vehicle originally designed for 700 lbs. to LEO. He credited the
improved performance to new manufacturing approaches by Microcosm and new materials
technology from Composite Technology Development. Additional testing was done
for 10-inch and 25-inch subscale tanks, which performed at comparable levels.
The technology will still have to be proven through multiple flight tests, but
the company is planning to offer the tanks in a range of sizes, as well as custom-made
pressure vessels for industrial applications. www.scorpius.com; www.smad.com
The Lost Art: Just Read It!
If you can’t name the last book you read, or worse yet, have a bookcase
full of unread books, it’s time for a lesson in selection. It is true
that some business books are part of a fad or publicity stunt, but not reading
up on your business at all is more of a loss than it seems. There are several
steps even a person on a tight schedule can take in order to find the right
book. Just because a book was beneficial to one person does not mean that it
will help you. Reviews and suggestions from fellow business owners can only
go so far. The majority of the research falls on the reader. Reading the back
cover or inside flap gives a general idea of what topics the book will cover,
but a quick skim of the introduction or preface will give more detail. Not every
book works for every business, so look for specific applications to your business.
With enough time, you can even skim a few paragraphs from a couple different
chapters to get an idea of the writing style and if it works for you. Make sure
the topic is interesting and the style appeals to you. Otherwise, it will just
add to your collection of unread books. Check out the writer and his or her
credentials. Real world experience may work better for you as opposed to an
extensive education, or vice versa. Decide your style and return to that if
it works. These and more tips are available from Susan M. Heathfield on www.about.com.
Honda Takes Off With New Jet
Just one year after its public world debut at the Experimental Aircraft Association
(EAA) AirVenture in 2005, the HondaJet is nearly ready to begin sales. Late
July and early August were busy months for Honda as regular announcements were
released regarding the all-new Very Light Jet (VLJ). The most recent development
is the newly established, wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Aircraft Company, which
is responsible for the further development, sales promotion and production of
HondaJet. Based in Greensboro, N.C., the company will begin its work in the
very place the prototype HondaJet has been tested for more than three years.
The new company will begin taking sales orders for HondaJet this fall, and plans
to deliver the first mass-produced HondaJet in 2010. In an effort to provide
a new level of sales and service to jet customers, Honda also plans to form
a business alliance with Piper Aircraft, which will be managed by Honda Aircraft
Company. The goal of the collaboration is to set a higher standard for the quality
of the ownership experience. The HondaJet has been in the works for twenty years,
with research beginning in Japan in 1986 on small aircraft and jet engines.
Seven years later, Honda began research at Mississippi State University (MSU)
on a composite body aircraft. Work here continued until 1996, resulting in the
MH-02 aircraft, jointly fabricated and tested by Honda and MSU. Meanwhile, from
1995-1996, Honda conducted more than 70 hours of tests on its first generation
turbofan engine, HFX-01. Just three years later, development began on the HF118
turbofan jet engine in the 1,000 to 3,500-pound thrust class; and in 2002, Honda
conducted high altitude tests with the same engine, which would ultimately be
specific to the prototype HondaJet design. Finally, on December 3, 2003, HondaJet
took its first test flight. Through July 2006, the plane has recorded more than
240 flight hours, achieved an altitude of 43,000 feet and speeds of 412 knots.
A combination of honeycomb sandwich structure and co-cured stiffened panels
create an advanced all-composite fuselage structure, reducing weight and manufacturing
costs. In order to achieve low drag at a high speed, the natural-laminar flow
(NLF) wing and NLF fuselage nose were developed through extensive analyses and
wind tunnel testing. The patented over-the-wing engine-mount reduces drag at
high speeds and improves fuel efficiency. Additionally, it eliminates the need
for a structure to mount the engines to the rear fuselage, thus maximizing cabin
and luggage space. HondaJet seats six to seven people including the pilot, and
reaches a maximum speed of 420 knots, or 778 km per hour. While the plane was
constructed in North Carolina and all flight tests have been conducted in the
U.S.,
the company is still finalizing plans to manufacture the HondaJet in the U.S.
However, nothing has been confirmed. www.corporate.honda.com.
Aerospace Forecasts a Bright 20 Years
Just before the start of the Farnborough Air Show in England on July 17, Boeing
released the Current Market Outlook (CMO) 2006. The optimistic statistics presented
in the report surely brought smiles to the faces of show attendees, for Boeing
predicts strong 20-year growth and a doubling of the world freight fleet from
1,789 to 3, 563 airplanes. Nearly 62 percent of additions will fall into the
widebody category (medium widebody plus large freighters), which includes freighters
with a capacity of 40 tons or more. Standard-body freighters, on the other hand,
will decrease from 50 percent to 36 percent over the next twenty years, according
to the CMO. Standard-body freighters have less than 50 tons capacity and the
body width of single-aisle passenger airplanes. In many cases, operators such
as express carriers prefer medium widebodies as a replacement for retiring standard-body
freighters. In response to the medium-capacity trend, Airbus revealed A350 Extra
Wide Body (XWB) at Farnborough. The A350 XWB’s all-new wing is of advanced
aerodynamic design and will be built with composite material, reducing weight
while providing high cruise speeds. The 314-passenger jetliner is expected to
hit runways mid 2012. By 2025, freighters of all sizes will provide more than
half of the world’s total air cargo capacity, according to the CMO. And
while new airplanes will make up the minority of the total world freighter fleet,
they dominate the large-size category, with many airlines preferring their technical
advantages, reliability, and fuel efficiency. Boeing received a record 113 firm
orders for production and converted freighters in 2005 and brought the new 777F
and 747-8F to market. The growth predicted in the report is attributed to increasing
demand driven by global economic growth, and the need to replace older airplanes
with newer ones. Overall projections include 27, 210 airplanes required over
the next 20 years, and a $2.6 trillion market value. www.boeing.com; www.airbus.com.
Small Wind Generates Big Savings
For your wallet and the environment, that is. Wind turbines are not limited
to wide, open spaces anymore. Small wind, as it’s called, is moving into
residential areas, slashing homeowners’ electric bills with little more
than the buzz of a quiet fan. According to Southwest Windpower, an Arizona-based
manufacturer of small wind generators, the home is powered by the electric utility
when the wind is not blowing, but excess electricity generated by the small
wind can be sold back to the utility or used at a later date. Their latest product,
the Skystream 3.7, can pay for itself in less than four years in states like
Hawaii, where the cost of energy and wind speeds are both high. Skystream costs
between $8-10,000 to purchase and install, but is estimated to save the average
homeowner $500-800 per year and provide 40-90 percent of the average home’s
energy needs. Windsave, based in Glasgow, was formed in 2002 with the goal of
helping every property in Britain be a part of the Green Revolution. The WS-1000
is just 1.75 meters in diameter and claims to reduce electricity bills by as
much as one-third. Common concerns with wind energy, particularly in residential
areas, include bird safety and property values. However, these concerns have
proven to be unfounded. Of 10,000 bird fatalities in the U.S., less than one
was attributed to wind turbines, according to “Summary of Anthropogenic
Causes of Bird Mortality,” available from Southwest Windpower. According
to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), is no evidence to support the
concern sometimes raised that the existence of a residential wind turbine will
lower property values on adjacent or near-by properties.” In fact, studies
show that 50 percent of homeowners surveyed in California would be willing to
pay more for a home equipped with solar and wind technology. Residential wind
power is gaining popularity. It was recently featured on the CBS Evening News,
and they are becoming more affordable for the average homeowner. The U.S. House
and Senate have introduced a bill to give a 30 percent tax credit for the purchase
of small wind systems used for homes, farms and small businesses. A similar
credit is already in place in Britain. www.windsave.com; www.windenergy.com.
American Composites Manufacturers Association
1010 North Glebe Rd., Suite 450, Arlington VA, 22201
P: 703·525·0511 - F: 703·525·0743 - Email: info@acmanet.org