Photo Credit: CW Thick-part molding without debulks for marine applicationsДЄlso featured on the Hexcel stand was G-Vent, a lightweight (3-6 gsm) grid that can beВ integrated into thick prepreg laminates to promote and maximizeВ air egress for OOA fabrication. Does Merlot foresee need to expand carbon fiber capacity to meet demand from the pressure vessel market? вЂњIf we can demonstrate use of less fiber to achieve cost targets then, yes, expansion would be considered,вЂќ he says. Hexcel, he says, is working diligently to fine-tune and optimize fiberВ use and resin chemistryВ for pressure vessels in an effort to get costs down and performance up. On top of that, the fiber is aerospace grade, but, in HexcelвЂ™s case, вЂњtweakedвЂќ for pressure vessels. вЂњHydrogen, for me,В is the energy of the future, and for hydrogen, carbon fiber is key,вЂќ he says, noting that current hydrogen storage pressure vessels consume about 50 kilograms of carbon fiber each. When asked about emerging markets, it was not difficult to determine which Merlot, and Hexcel, is most excited about. вЂњIn the end, this is the change we must confront: climate change,вЂќ he says. Targets for sustainability improvement include energy use, emissions, water use, waste rates, bio-based resins, bio-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN, the precursor of carbon fiber) and recycled acrylonitrile. Regarding the latter, Merlot reportsВ that Hexcel has created an in-house committee to study the companyвЂ™s sustainability position and set goals to improve it. вЂњThis is very important to the industry we serve and to Hexcel,вЂќ he notes.

He begins by noting, as many others did at JEC, the вЂњsustainability waveвЂќ that is washing over the composites industry. Thierry Merlot, HexcelВ (Stamford, Conn., U.S.)В president вЂ“ Aerospace for Europe, MEA/AP & Industrial, sat down with CW at JEC to talk about carbon fiber and composites materials for established and emerging markets. Hexcel outlook on sustainability, hydrogen, AAM Cannon Afros reports that the Direct Infusion systemВ canВ work withВ all the most commonВ resin matrix. Cannon AfrosВ says that the system is already used for blade productionВ to infuse epoxy. Further, the system allows resin injectionВ to exploit the pressure given by the pumping system and not only by the mold vacuum, which expedites infusion. Cannon Afros says thisВ enablesВ precise control of resin injection at specifiedВ ratios, flowratesВ and pressures in strategic locations. For the wind energy market, Cannon Afros reported that itВ hasВ providedВ a wind blade manufacturerВ withВ its newand enhancedВ Direct InfusionВ process.В WithВ this system,В several infusionВ gates can beВ managed by the dosing and mixing machine, with each gate independently and directly controlled, butВ fed by the sameВ dosing group. Cannon Ergos did the mold build, material characterization and trials were performed on a Cannon press usingВ compression molding. Photo Credit: Cannon Recycled carbon fiber thermoplastic 737 sidewall panelВ demonstratorД¬annon Group revealed at JEC that its Cannon Ergos (Caronno Pertusella, Italy) unit has completed fabrication of a demonstrator 737 sidewall panel made with recycled carbon fiber and a thermoplastic resin system for Boeing (Chicago, Ill., U.S.). Roeffaers had on hand at the showВ several side-view mirrors made by CAC with flax fiber reinforcement. Emphasis is on helping automakers meet sustainability goals through use of renewable and CO 2-friendly materials. Michael Roeffaers, managing director of the operation, says CAC focuses heavily on fabrication carbon fiber composite parts, with natural fiber reinforcement offered/applied where possible, for automotive OEMs. CobraвЂ™s automotive manufacturing operations, called Cobra Advanced Composites (CAC), employs 600 people in a 10,500-square-meter facility. In the medical market, Cobra is working with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand to develop carbon fiber foot prosthetics for people injured in motorcycle accidents. Cobra is also fabricating <10-meter wings for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), as well as structures for mapping drones.

This includes development of a wing for wing foiling and a windsurfing foil and fabrication of a recycled/recyclable surfboard, made with offcuts from CobraвЂ™s automotive operations. Danu Chotikapanich, CEO of Cobra, says much of the companyвЂ™s focus has been on electrification of outdoor products and development of foils for watersports structures.

Honeycomb aeronautical