There is a new market research report out from QY Research Group on the “2010 China Wind Turbine Nacelle Cover and Nose Cone Industry”. The report, which costs $2,500 USD will go into detail on the manufacturing of composite nacelle covers, and will likely talk about the use of sandwich structures to make this product lightweight, yet strong.
The strong, stiff, and lightweight nature of sandwich panels make them an ideal fit for numerous applications. In yet another example, Business Wire reports that the new Ferrari JBL speakers utilize a sandwich construction:
“The diaphragms in the specially developed sound transducers feature a three-layer sandwich structure with pure aluminum backing to minimize distortion across a wide range of frequencies for particularly authentic reproduction of voices and instruments.”
In the quest for 100+ mpg cars, the weight needs to decrease, and it is no suprise composites will help do this. AutoBlog.com reports on Aptera’s new concept car and it notes that they are using composite sandwich panels in the construction.
Last I heard, Aptera was one of the final nine cars still in the running for the Automotive X-Prize competition. Good luck Aptera, if you win, I am sure it is because of the composite sandwich panels…
There is a recent article in Reinforced Plastics discussing the latest advances in composite sandwich panel core technology. It discusses bio-based materials, new foams, and hi-temp thermoplastic honeycombs.
According to the Neshoba Democrat, a Mississippi based company is going to be exporting insulated composite building panels to Africa…
Recreation vehicles, RVs, are a good indicator for the health of the economy. RV sales show strength in consumer spending, consumer confidence, and availability of financing.
Sandwich panel manufacturer AZDEL recently announced that with the recent upswing in RV demand, they have increased their capacity to 20 million pounds (100 million sqft). Source
By my calculations, this means their panels are weighing an average of 5lbs a square foot, which is a seriously robust panel… With weight being so important in transportation, perhaps new materials will soon help Azdel shed some of the extra pounds.
Here is a great article describing the use of composite sandwich structures in cargo shipping vessels. It goes into detail describing the energy savings from from weight removal and the associated costs.
Here is a blog post from a Santa Claus rental company; what is interesting is that Santa’s bench is made as a lightweight sandwich structure for easier transportation:
“The bench or chair back is made using foam-core construction for weight reduction, and has casters on the back at the bottom that allows it to be wheeled into the room.”
In the US, when you apply for a Patent, your application becomes public. Thus, keeping an eye on patent applications can be more relevant then keeping an eye on published patents.
Here is a Patent application for a new method of joining sandwich panels assigned to Innovida Factories.
Here is a brand new US Patent granted to Airbus titled: Locally reinforced core structure for composite sandwich structure and method of producing the same
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