REpower and Alerion CleanPower Sign Contract for 44 Megawatt Wind Farm Project in Italy

REpower Systems SE and Alerion CleanPower Spa, an Italian-based renewable energy company, signed a contract for a wind project in the South of Italy. REpower will deliver 13 3.4M104 wind turbines to San Marco in Lamis, a 44 megawatt (MW) wind farm situated north-east of Foggia. The turbines will have a rated output of 3.4 megawatts and a hub height of 80 meters each. REpower is responsible for supplying, installing and commissioning the turbines. The company will also provide service in line with a twelve years service agreement with Alerion CleanPower.

San Marco in Lamis wind farm is located close to REpower Italia’s main service center near Foggia and will be maintained directly from there. The Italian-based subsidiary of REpower Systems SE will start construction as early as the fall of 2011.

Andreas Nauen, CEO of REpower Systems SE, is pleased that REpower’s 3.XM series is well accepted on the Italian market: “This is the second contract for the 3.4M104 in Italy. It confirms the excellent market-fit of this turbine and strengthens our market presence in Italy.”

Carlo Schiapparelli, Managing Director of REpower Italia S.r.l., comments, “We are delighted to be working with Alerion again. Our first project, Ordona, with 17 REpower MM92 turbines was completed in 2007. This second project confirms that Alerion – an important client for REpower Italia with a high level of renewable energy expertise – regards us as reliable supplier.”

Lamborghini and Callaway Teams Up to Create a Super Strong, Lightweight Golf Club

Lamborghini and Callaway have teamed up to create a super strong, lightweight golf club. Using forged composite to make the Razr Hawk R11 (the same material used in the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept); this material is a lighter, stronger, and more precise version of traditional woven carbon fiber or titanium. Boasting a higher threshold for standing up to extreme conditions, this composite material features 500,000 intertwined turbo static fibers per inch.

Offering an improved overall performance, the Razr Hawk R11 is sleek and polished, not to mention lighter and stronger. In fact, tests have shown that this club can hit a tee shot of up to six yards longer than what its predecessor, the R11, could. And if you’re at all competitive, that six yards could mean the difference between first and second place.

BEFUT to Build Carbon Fiber Composite Materials Manufacturing Plant

BEFUT International Co., Ltd. a developer, manufacturer and distributor of wire and cable products in China, has apprised that it has been selected as an anchor client in the Puwan New Area development zone, where it will build a new facility to develop carbon fiber composite materials. Puwan New Area, a 1045.6-kilometer economic zone, was created for the purpose of fostering research and development projects and to serve as a headquarters for technology innovation within China. The economic zone is located near the major port of Dalian. In a highly competitive process, the government selected BEFUT as one of its anchor tenants and is considered one of the ten key projects within the area.

Mr. Hongbao Cao, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We are pleased to enter this agreement with the Puwan New Area government and to situate development of our carbon fiber composite material project within this economic zone. The carbon fiber project will occupy a 300,000 square meter facility and ultimately we believe this facility will be able to produce 100,000 kilometers per year of high-pressure carbon fiber composite wire. This would equate to over $1.5 billion US (10.3 billion RMB) per year, once this facility is operating at full capacity."

Research at UC3M Improves the Bolted Joints in Airplanes

A research project at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) that analyses the bolted joints used in the aeronautical industry has determined the optimum force that should be applied so that they may better withstand the variations in temperature that aircraft are subjected to. This advance could improve airplane design, weight and safety. (OIC/UC3M).

The researchers have analyzed the performance of these bolted joints in aeronautical structures in which mechanical elements (screws, nuts, washers) are used to join parts that are made of composite materials. Specifically, the scientists at UC3M have analyzed the influence of bolt torque (the force with which the bolt is tightened) and temperature, which varies from -50ºC, when the airplane is flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, to 90ºC, the temperature to which a bolted joint may be exposed when it is close to a heat source. To do this, they developed a numerical model and analyzed the behavior of these joints under different conditions. "The main conclusion that we drew is that the torque of each joint should be estimated taking into account the range of temperatures to which the plate is going to be subjected, because current industry standards that are applied to determine torque do not take this effect into account", explains one of the authors of the study, Professor Enrique Barbero, head of the Advanced Materials Mechanics research group of the Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis at UC3M.

The main type of failure that they found was the crushing of carbon fiber plates against the shaft of the bolt, which is made more likely by low temperatures or by low torque levels. "At -50ºC the volume of the panels is reduced and the effect of the torque is diminished, so the joints that are subjected to these temperatures, such as those that form part of the fuselage and the external structure of the airplane, should have a greater torque so that its effect is maintained even under very low temperatures", affirms Professor Carlos Santiuste. The opposite effect can also be dangerous, the researchers point out, because when temperatures are high or when the torque is too great, the panels made of composite materials may be damaged by being compressed between the head of the bolt and the washer.

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Acoustic Guitar Made of Carbon fiber and Epoxy Resin Developed

John Decker, has developed an acoustic guitar made of carbon fiber and epoxy resin. He started a company called RainSong Graphite Guitars that produces about 700 all-composite guitars a year.

Creating a guitar sans wood that would be durable and sound good was a challenge for Decker and his colleagues. The "sound" of a guitar depends on what the soundboard - the top butternut squash-shaped panel - is made of. Traditionally, soundboards are made from a wood like spruce or cedar. Decker and his colleagues experimented first with other materials like fiberglass, which was too heavy, and plastic, which was too flexible. They settled eventually on graphite because its fiber structure was similar to that of wood's and would hopefully mimic the tonal qualities of wood. They experimented with adding other fibers and the proper amount of resin until they got a soundboard that worked.



On the RainSong website, Decker uses physics to explain what gives the RainSong guitar its unique "carbon sound". The soundboards on guitars transfer the vibrations of the strings into sound which then resonates in the body. For wood, about half of those vibrations are absorbed and turned into heat instead of sound. This effect, called damping, is heightened at higher vibration frequencies.

Graphite, however, doesn't have the same damping properties as wood and the higher notes don't fade away as quickly on a graphite guitar as they do on a wooden one. The graphite is nearly linear and each of the frequencies is damped at almost the same rate. This results in louder treble on the graphite guitar. The linear damping also gives the guitar purer tones by reducing the mixing of harmonics that happens when playing a wooden guitar.

Multifunctional Self-Healing Composites Made Using Carbon Nanotubes

According to researchers from Applied Sciences Inc., carbon nanotubes are ideal materials to pair with nano-sized self-healing capsules in thermoset composites. Applied Sciences is exploring this technology under a NASA Phase I SBIR program targeted at developing self healing composite technology using Pyrograf III carbon nanotubes.

Polymer matrix composites offering multiple advantages of lightweight, high strength and stiffness, vibration damping, and corrosion resistance are becoming widely used in aerospace and commercial applications. A primary weakness of structural composites is damage from impact, where resulting micro-cracks can propagate to allow delamination and/or fiber breakage of the composite, resulting in loss of the excellent physical properties for which composites are selected. Incorporation of carbon nanotubes into the polymer matrix, resulting in a significant increase of the composite interphase, has been shown to mitigate micro-crack formation. Carbon nanotube additives in the matrix have also demonstrated improvement in interlaminar mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity, vibration damping, and fire retardancy. A separate promising tool for addressing damage from impact is the emerging class of self healing materials having the ability to heal micro-cracks and restore mechanical and corrosion resistant properties of the composite. In the awarded effort, a combination of these tools will be investigated to determine the feasibility of incorporating self-healing properties, while concurrently producing multifunctional improvements in interlaminar shear strength, modulus, fracture toughness, transport properties, fire retardancy and vibration damping.

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LM Wind Power Announces 73.5 m Turbine Blade

This new blade will be the longest composite blade structure in the world at 73.5 meters creating an impressive swept area with a rotor diameter of 150 meters.

The LM 73.5P wind turbine blades will be installed on Alstom’s 6 MW wind turbines offshore, mainly in European waters, where the giant blades will travel at the speed of more than 320 km/h in order to generate green power equivalent to the yearly requirements of over 6000 European households



Vice President, Product Development at LM Wind Power, Jan Kristiansen is looking forward to being able to present the first prototype blade in Denmark already at the end of this year. “The size of these impressive structures has more than doubled over the past decade alone, and although this has of course demanded the development of new materials, design and technology along the way, the new 73.5 meter blade is built on our progressive accumulation of know-how. This ensures that even though it is more than ten meters longer than our recent world record blade, it is still based on a proven concept.”

The company says it is in discussions with a number of Asian wind turbine manufacturers about making blades longer than 80 m.




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SABIC Signs Technology Agreement with Montefibre for Fully Integrated World Scale Carbon Fiber Project in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation apprised that it has signed a technology agreement with Montefibre S.p.A (Montefibre) granting SABIC and its affiliates an extensive international licence on carbon fiber technology developed by Montefibre. SABIC will first use the technology for a new carbon fiber plant to be built in Saudi Arabia. This plant demonstrates how SABIC continues to add innovative new specialty products to its offering. It will enable SABIC to serve the growing demand for carbon fiber and composites in such fast-growing markets as alternative energy, transportation and infrastructure.

SABIC and Montefibre also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the companies to study the feasibility of a new carbon fiber production plant in Spain to be integrated into Montefibre’s existing acrylic fiber production site—and thus allowing SABIC to accelerate product development and material qualification activities with customers and end-users.

Once complete, the carbon fiber project is expected to establish a domestic supply of more than 3,000 metric tons of industrial grade carbon fiber to serve emerging local markets in the Middle East as well as international markets.

The project will also include the creation of a new carbon fiber product development center and composite plastics application development capabilities at the SABIC Plastics Application Development Center (SPADC) which is currently under construction at the Riyadh Techno Valley research complex at King Saud University. Both the carbon fiber production plant and the SPADC capabilities are aligned with Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Clusters Development Program to grow and diversify the manufacturing sector in Saudi Arabia.

Vaupell Acquires Composite Products Supplier, Russell Plastics Technology

Vaupell Holdings, a global provider of hi-tech plastics assemblies and products for the defense, aerospace and medical markets, has acquired the New York-based Russell Plastics Technology Company. Russell Plastics supplies composite plastics products and assemblies to the military and aerospace markets, while Vaupell is a portfolio company of Miami-based H.I.G. Capital, a global private investment firm.

The Russell acquisition adds composite manufacturing capabilities, tools and services to Vaupell’s existing offering of products and services. It also expands Vaupell’s military and rotorcraft markets.

The CEO of Vaupell, Joe Jahn said that the demand for structurally tough and lightweight composite parts is growing, particularly in the defense and aerospace markets.

Russell Plastics Technology’s President, Alexander Bozza, and other key management members will continue their current roles. Bozza will also join the Vaupell board.

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Siemens to Invest EUR150 Million to Expand Wind Power Business

Over the next two years Siemens is to invest over EUR150 million in further expansion of its wind business. Two new Research and Development (R&D) Centers are to be set up in the Danish towns of Brande and Aalborg. In addition, Siemens will match the capacity of its Danish production plants to the growing demand for offshore wind turbines in Europe expand office spaces at its headquarters in Brande to accommodate the growth in number of employees. Starting 2012, the highly successful Offshore Business will have a new Center of Competence in the Danish city of Vejle.

In 2010, Siemens opened two new production facilities in China and in the U.S. The Business Unit Siemens Wind Power already operates centers of competence around the world in order to enhance the research and development activities in this field. They are located in Taastrup, Denmark, Boulder, USA, Sheffield and Keele, United Kingdom, Aachen, Germany and The Hague, The Netherlands. "Our investments in R&D and the extension of production facilities will pave the road for our global expansion," said Jens-Peter Saul, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit. "We will continue to expand our global production network and to regionalize our sales and project management functions to get closer to the customer. Further factories are planned in the U.K., in Canada, Russia and India," added Saul.

"The investments in our new R&D Centers will strengthen our leading position in wind turbine technology," said Henrik Stiesdal, Chief Technology Officer of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit. "Through the investment in the new R&D test centers, we will be able to thoroughly investigate and verify new products and solutions like the Direct Drive and Quantum Blade technologies before they are implemented in the field. This will help us to ensure that we keep our unmatched track record in reliability for our next generation of large wind turbines."

BASF to Expand its Compounding Capacity for the Engineering Plastics Ultramid and Ultradur in Europe

BASF is increasing its compounding capacities for the engineering plastics Ultramid (polyamide ) and Ultradur at its Schwarzheide site by 10,000 metric tons per year. This is a first step within the scope of the capacity expansions that are planned in view of the sharp rise in demand in Europe. Already in the first quarter of 2011, BASF announced that it would be doubling its compounding capacities for engineering plastics in China and Korea.

"Engineering plastics in Europe came out of the economic crisis more quickly than we and our customers had expected back in early 2010. In comparison to the crisis year of 2009, demand rose by more than 30 percent in 2010. For 2011 as well, we are counting on double-digit growth. Consequently, the consumption will already have returned to the pre-crisis level in 2011," explains Dr. Willy Hoven-Nievelstein, head of the business unit Engineering Plastics Europe of BASF. "We are anticipating an average annual growth of more than five percent, which is why we are going to considerably expand our compounding capacities for engineering plastics in Europe in the coming years. This is how we can keep pace with the growth of our customers, as we have done in the past," Hoven-Nievelstein adds.

The engineering plastics Ultramid and Ultradur are further processed into high-performance components in the automotive industry, in the electric & electronics sector as well as in the realms of construction and furniture-making. Such components include, for instance, car seat structures, oil pans, sensors and connectors, window profiles and chairs.

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ATI Secures $99 million Composite Technology Contract by the U.S. Navy

Advanced Technology International has been awarded a $99 million contract by the U.S. Navy for composite technology services. The award from the Office of Naval Research Navy Composites Manufacturing Center comes from a re-competition of a current contract and will used to fund the Composites Manufacturing Technology Center in Anderson, S.C.

The five-year contract includes an initial two-year base period award of $40 million, two one-year options for $20 million per year and a final option year at $19 million. The work effort will be performed by ATI at its Anderson Innovation Center.

VICTREX PEEK Polymer Reduces Weight and Increases Aerospace Component Lifespan in Extreme Chemical Environments

Mandatory requirements for aerospace polymers are weight reduction to lower fuel costs, excellent mechanical strength and dimensional stability, and the ability to meet industry standards and specifications regarding flame, smoke, and toxicity emissions. High-performance VICTREX PEEK polymer is increasingly being specified as it meets these and other rigid requirements especially in metal replacement opportunities across multiple aircraft platforms. It combines these product characteristics and the processing flexibility that is delivering increased efficiency and parts consolidation to lower costs. Besides excellent high temperature and flammability performance, VICTREX PEEK polymer meets another key requirement for aerospace polymers - the ability to maintain its properties while withstanding extreme chemical environments including jet fuels and hydraulic fluids.

VICTREX PEEK polymer has exceptional resistance to a wide range of acids, bases, and hydrocarbons allowing for longer-lasting components. Tests have demonstrated that soaking VICTREX PEEK compounds in 70°C (158°F) Skydrol hydraulic fluid for 1,000 hours led to less than a 10% change in nominal properties. These tests are backed by more than 20 years of proven performance in both commercial and military aircraft where VICTREX PEEK polymer is specified in hydraulic and fuel system components.

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3M to Acquire Advanced Chemistry & Technology Inc.

3M apprised that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Advanced Chemistry & Technology Inc. (AC TECH), a manufacturer of quick cure, light-weight polysulfide sealants for aerospace applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“The combined portfolio expands our value-added solutions offering to our customers, supporting their efforts to produce lighter, safer aircraft components and structures in a faster, more cost-effective manner. AC TECH and 3M working together will better serve customers in the aerospace industry.”

The launch of new aircraft platforms is expected to contribute to strong growth and demand for aerospace sealants over the next several years. Aircraft sealants are used to prevent corrosion, seal critical gaps, and protect from foreign object debris. AC TECH’s range of fast-curing polysulfide sealants is highly complementary to 3M's aerospace material offerings and custom engineered solutions.

“The addition of AC TECH expands 3M’s product presence in the aerospace market for the manufacture and maintenance of commercial and military aircraft,” said Denise Rutherford, general manager, 3M Aerospace and Aircraft Maintenance Department. “The combined portfolio expands our value-added solutions offering to our customers, supporting their efforts to produce lighter, safer aircraft components and structures in a faster, more cost-effective manner. AC TECH and 3M working together will better serve customers in the aerospace industry.”

Lucintel’s Regional Benchmarking for Wind Energy Industry of BRIC Countries and US: China to Outpace US

Concerns over climate change, crude oil prices, and increasing energy demand are generating global interest in renewable resources to meet the world’s energy needs. Wind is a clean, abundant, rapidly growing energy source. Investment in wind energy, however, requires proper analysis as its costs are still higher than conventional energy sources.

Lucintel, a leading global management consulting and market research firm, analyzes the wind energy market and presents its findings in its research report, "Regional Benchmarking of Wind Energy Industry 2011–2020: BRIC Countries and US."

This report provides insights about wind energy and a comparative industry analysis of the BRIC countries and the US. From 2000–2010 the global wind energy market grew with a CAGR of 27%. Traditional industry leaders, such as Europe and the US, lost market share in 2010. China emerged as the world’s largest wind energy market with 22% of global installed capacity, growing through strong government support from feed-in-tariffs and favorable pricing policies. It expects to remain the fastest-growing wind energy player as it reduces dependence on fossil fuels. As Lucintel’s discloses, China expects to reach 230 GW in cumulative wind installations by 2020. The US also is expected to grow steadily and to reach approximately 180 GW by 2020.
Government policies and an emerging wind market make Brazil attractive for wind energy OEMs. Russia holds tremendous potential, but its industry remains underdeveloped because of no government support. Central government initiatives and state-level incentives assist India’s wind industry development. The US, with huge potential and supportive government policies, offers opportunities for OEMs.
The report provides trend scenarios and forecast statistics for 2001–2020. Lucintel’s research provides detailed market structure, supply chain analysis, and comparative analysis of wind markets. The report details the wind market’s drivers and challenges, policies affecting the market, competitive advantages of BRIC and the US through diamond analysis, and BRIC’s resource potential.

For a detailed table of contents and pricing information on this timely, insightful report, contact Lucintel at +1-972-636-5056 or via email at helpdesk@lucintel.com. Lucintel provides cutting-edge decision support services that help you make critical decisions with greater speed, insight, and cost efficiency. To find out more, please visit http://www.lucintel.com.

Contact:
Roy Almaguer, +1-972-636-5056 or via email at helpdesk@lucintel.com.

Dow and Aksa to Form Integrated Carbon Fiber and Derivatives Joint Venture

The Dow Chemical Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Dow Europe GmbH, and Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a joint venture to manufacture and globally commercialize carbon fiber and derivatives.

Through this agreement, both companies will work together to explore opportunities to create fully-integrated production facilities for the manufacture and global supply of carbon fibers and derivatives. The companies will examine opportunities to develop and market a broad range of products and technical service offerings in the carbon fiber-based composites industry.

“This new partnership with Aksa is another example of how Dow continues to advance its innovation agenda and broaden our down-stream, integrated solutions offering,” said Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew N. Liveris. “Together, Aksa and Dow will apply science, world-class manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise to deliver innovative solutions that address some of the world’s most pressing challenges such as increasing the energy capture of wind turbines, improving the fuel economy of automobiles, and extending the life of roads and buildings.”

“By partnering with a global leader such as Dow, we will further strengthen Aksa’s leadership position in both our local community and global markets. Aksa has been a pioneer at introducing new products and technologies and with this partnership will accelerate our pace in the future. In addition to the continued efforts of our dedicated, hard working, competent employees, we also count on strong contributions of all our partners in the process chain, including our governments, to create and meet the demand for this interesting new technology,” said Mehmet Ali Berkman, Chairman of the Board of Aksa. “This technology race to develop carbon fiber composites will offer improved products and solutions for the betterment of mankind.”

ABB Strengthening its Marine Presence in Brazil

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is planning to strengthen its Marine Industry presence in Brazil, in order to serve the growing market in Latin America more effectively.

Latin America has quickly become a key strategic area for ABB’s marine business. Future plans, which include the establishment of a new Azipod C factory, marine service center and specialized Azipod service center, will help ABB to serve Brazil’s fast-growing shipbuilding industry and to fulfill the requirement for local content.

"ABB’s innovative solutions and quality products have won us a leading position in high value added vessel segments, such as drill ships, semi-submersible rigs, offshore supply vessels and shuttle tankers", said Heikki Soljama, head of ABB’s Marine and Cranes Business Unit.“Our portfolio fits well into Brazil’s shipbuilding plans and development, and our investments show ABB’s commitment and confidence in the Brazilian market, and we believe this will gain us a preferred position to supply thrusters for 28 drilling units for Petrobras”

Several locations have been evaluated for setting up the new Azipod factory, including Pernambuco, Santos, and Rio De Janeiro, although the final decision has yet to be taken. The planned factory will have the annual capacity of over 30 Azipod units. The actual construction schedule will enable timely thruster delivery to Petrobras drilling units from Brazil.

A service center is also planned to be opened by 2014 in Brazil. It will have dedicated and specialized Azipod service personnel, a dedicated workshop and tooling to assist in overhauls and refurbishment. The service center will also provide spare parts for the local market.

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Ashland to Acquire International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP); Broadens Global Leadership in Specialty Chemicals

Ashland Inc. and International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP) have informed that Ashland has agreed to acquire privately owned ISP, a global specialty chemical manufacturer of innovative functional ingredients and technologies. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, Ashland will pay approximately $3.2 billion for the business in an all-cash transaction. At closing, ISP’s advanced product portfolio will expand Ashland’s position in high-growth markets such as personal care, pharmaceutical and energy. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2011, ISP generated sales of approximately $1.6 billion and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of approximately $360 million. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Ashland’s earnings per share.

ISP is a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and performance enhancing products for consumer and industrial markets. ISP will bring high-value water soluble polymers and other advanced technologies into Ashland’s functional ingredients business, as well as complementary additives for Ashland’s food and beverage, energy, coatings, adhesives and water treatment markets. The acquisition is expected to significantly strengthen Ashland’s functional ingredients active patent portfolio and its team of research and development scientists. The result will be a stronger, global functional ingredients business with proven technological and application capabilities to solve customers’ unique formulation challenges.

Ashland Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James J. O’Brien said, "This defining transaction enables us to significantly expand our market positions in higher margin, higher growth and less cyclical global markets like personal care and pharmaceuticals. In addition, we expect to more than double the size of our highest-margin functional ingredients business."

ISP President and Chief Executive Officer Sunil Kumar said, "We are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to combine ISP with Ashland. We appreciate Ashland’s passion for this business and we believe this combination offers tremendous potential for our customers, key business partners and employees."

LANXESS Selects Singapore as Site for World’s Largest Nd-PBR Plant

LANXESS has selected Singapore as the site for its new neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant. The German specialty chemicals company plans to invest roughly EUR 200 million in a 140,000 metric tons per annum facility on Jurong Island Chemical Park. The facility will be the largest of its kind in the world. The plant is expected to start up in the first half of 2015.

"It is only one year since we broke ground for our butyl plant in Singapore. Now we are ready to move forward with the second largest investment project in our history," said Heitmann. "The dynamic Asia region is a key cornerstone of our mid-term growth strategy."

LANXESS conducted a feasibility study to evaluate potential locations for the plant in Asia. Singapore won due to a very good raw materials supply. LANXESS and the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Private) Limited (PCS) have signed a MoU on the long-term supply, via pipeline, of butadiene from PCS to LANXESS and raffinate II from LANXESS to PCS. Butadiene is the raw material LANXESS needs to produce Nd-PBR and raffinate II will be a product stream from LANXESS’ future butyl rubber plant in Singapore.

“We are delighted to have reached this MoU with LANXESS to supply the key feedstock for its state-of-the-art synthetic rubber plant and to purchase raffinate II from them,” said PCS Managing Director, Akira Yonemura.

LANXESS’ new Nd-PBR plant will be located on Jurong Island next to the company’s EUR 400 million butyl rubber plant, which is currently under construction and will come on stream in the first quarter of 2013.

Prepreg Reduces Weight of Electric Motorcycle Brammo Empulse

The Brammo Empulse, an all-electric motorcycle made by Oregon-based Brammo Inc. won both races of the inaugural round of the TTXGP, a zero-emission race at the Infineon Raceway May 14 and 15 in California. The Empulse broke the Infineon track record with its fastest lap time at 1:55.150, almost two seconds faster than last year's winning electric bike on the 2.5-mile track. Its average lap speed was within 20 seconds of the fastest qualifying lap time of a 1,000cc internal combustion Superbike on the same track.

The Empulse had some notable design improvements this year, including a new seat assembly and tank made from Amber Composites 8020 prepreg. Previous bikes had only used carbon fiber as a cosmetic application but this year Brammo created structural components from prepreg to significantly reduce the weight of the bike in order to increase performance.

"With the Amber Composites prepreg, we were able to shave 30% off the weight of the assembly versus the previous design,” said Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development at Brammo. “As an added bonus, the surface finish was so straight out of the mold that we didn’t have to clear coat or paint it, saving further weight."

New Composites Could Revolutionize Wireless Power

A Duke University study says "metamaterials" a term it uses for Composite Materials with unique properties could facilitate the wireless transfer of power to electrical devices with much less waste. One example of a metamaterial, the study says, would be an array of copper conducting loops. Users would place the array at a given point between the device and its power source, and electricity would be transferred directly through it.

Metamaterials could have real-world applications within two to three years, said Yaroslav Urzhumov, an assistant professor who headed the Duke study. While there is a number of wireless charging devices on the market including the popular Powermat, which offers wireless charging for phones and iPods Urzhumov says using metamaterials would allow for a significant increase in both range and power.

By ramping up the efficiency, metamaterials could help charge bigger appliances and gadgets, including electric automobiles, Urzhumov said. They could even allow people to charge devices underwater. An advantage of metamaterials, Urzhumov said, would be to combat the problem of corrosion. "Exposing metals to the aggressively oxidizing environment leads to fast corrosion and subsequent loss of contact," he said.

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PUMA Launches New Composites v1.11 Football Boot

Sportslifestyle brand PUMA has introduced its latest and lightest v1.11 football boot. The v1.11 boot incorporates lightweight technologies that enable all kinds of movements while supporting the player’s speed to the maximum. The v1.11 is the third generation football boot that uses the special UNI technology, where the upper material is stitched rather than glued to the sole, providing the perfect fit by perfectly replicating the unique PUMA Aptolast. The v1.11 also features a super soft premium lightweight microfiber upper material. The central lacing which is underneath the lace cover makes the boot suitable for various foot shapes, and the lace cover is held down by an elastic strap and a TriHook fastener to ensure a snug fit that provides a smooth kicking area and a unique look. A carbon fibers composite in the forefoot helps provide optimal pressure distribution, reactivity and flexibility.

In addition, the new v1.1 boot enables greater playing stability, through an external heel counter and a Pebax frame that provides support to the outsole. The midfoot area is reinforced with a TPU composite which secures further stability and helps to avoid midfoot bending. This increased stability also enables an optimal traction as well as maneuverability, provided through the pointed stud configuration featured on this new boot.

LORD to Construct New Factory in Brazil

Subsidiary of the North-American LORD Corporation, global leader in adhesives and coatings for specific segments, vibration and motion control, and magnetically responsive technologies, LORD has initiated the project to build a site in the city of Itupeva (Sao Paulo, Brazil). The industrial park in Jundiai, occupied by the company since 1974, will be deactivated after all the equipment has been moved to the new headquarters, which must be ready by the second-half of 2013.

"In Itupeva, we will have 10,200 m² of built area, and the total area comprising 40,500 m² will still allow several expansions. Nowadays, all land occupied by LORD has 7,800 m². In other words, there will be no lack of space to fulfill our aggressive growth plan for the next twenty years", says Fernando Siqueira, LORD’s projects leader.

Construction work is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2012. According to Siqueira, the new site will be built regarding the most demanding security standards existing in the country. "The project is also strongly pointed out by its concern with the environment, following the best engineering practices".

Boeing Shanghai Awarded New Five-Year Contract by Business Air

Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Co., Ltd informed that Business Air and Boeing Shanghai have signed a five-year contract to supply heavy maintenance and engineering services to support its growing fleet of Boeing 767’s. The agreement is an expansion of an earlier contract with the airline for 767 maintenance checks.

Boeing Shanghai will provide Business Air with fundamental engineering for any modification and structural assessments. While operating in Asia, Business Air will have access to Boeing engineers from Shanghai to support day-to-day operations and analysis.

“We were very satisfied with the heavy maintenance work Boeing Shanghai delivered to us in 2010,” said Sean Te’o, COO of Business Air. “This contract with Boeing Shanghai will enhance the reliability and cost effectiveness of our operation.”

"We are honored that Business Air is placing their continued trust in us by signing this five-year contract," said Bernard Hensey, CEO of Boeing Shanghai. "Business Air is a very important customer to us."

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Sandvik Coromant to Open Composites Centre in France for the Aerospace Sector

Following co-operation agreement between the Swedish tooling company and Precorp Inc, Sandvik formed a joint solutions provider for composite machining. Together, the pair provides unique products using PCD vein technology and innovative carbide solutions, as well as application know-how for the composites industry. PCD vein technology sees a precision sintered slot of PCD incorporated onto the cutting edge, improving the quality and efficiency of the tool.

Sandvik Coromant informed about its Composites Centre ahead of the Paris Air Show 2011 (20-26 June at Le Bourget Airport, Paris), where it will exhibit from a 60 sq m stand. The event will sees the cutting tool and tooling systems specialist to demonstrate its comprehensive range of tooling for machining all aerospace materials, including titanium alloys, HRSAs, aluminum and composites – the latter in co-operation with Precorp.

The company will demonstrate that it can offer optimized solutions for the machining of typical engine parts, such as turbine discs and casings, fan discs and casings, spools, shafts and blisks/impellors. The company can offer likewise for frame parts that include fuselage landing gear beams, wing boxes, wing pylon brackets, wing ribs, trailing edge carriages, flap/slat tracks and pylon thrust fittings.

Leading Chinese Wind Turbine Maker Signs Deals in U.S. to Explore Overseas Market

Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology Co. Ltd. (Goldwind), a leading Chinese wind turbine maker, apprised that it had signed deals with four large international component suppliers, including three in the United States.

The deals were signed at Windpower 2011 in Anaheim, California of the U.S. "This is a forceful measure of ours to cultivate a global supply chain in a bid to explore the overseas market," Wu Gang, chairman and CEO of Goldwind, added.

Goldwind signed a three-year cooperation deal with The Timken Company (Timken), an Ohio-based bearings manufacturer. Timken will provide Goldwind with a range of technical services, products and aftermarket support for the development, supply and maintenance of advanced wind turbine components and systems. In 2010, Timken signed a 26 million U.S. dollar deal to provide bearings for Goldwind's 1.5MW and 2.5MW turbines.

Another partner is North Dakota-based LM Windpower, which will provide blades for Goldwind's projects in the Americas for 2011.

The deal establishes that LM will manufacture blades for Goldwind's 1.5MW and 2.5MW permanent magnetic direct drive platforms. LM is now Goldwind's preferred blade supplier and Goldwind is LM's biggest customer globally.

Goldwind also signed a contract with Broadwind Towers, a tower fabricator with a factory in Texas and another in Wisconsin. Both factories will make tower components for Goldwind's Shady Oaks project in Lee County, Illinois, as well as other projects in the Midwest.

Aside from the U.S. companies, Goldwind signed an agreement with the Switch, a Finland-based provider of megawatt-class permanent magnet generator (PMG) and full-power converter (FPC) packages for wind power, for it to continue delivering its FPCs to Goldwind. The Switch has been a supplier of Goldwind over the past five years.

Innovative Composites Signs an Option Agreement to Acquire Component Supplier

Innovative Composites International Inc. apprised that it has entered into an option agreement to purchase the assets of Eleison Composites LLC ("Eleison"), a current ICI supplier and leading producer of fibre reinforced thermoplastic skin.

The integration of Eleison equipment would result in a significant reduction in the material cost of all ICI products which in turn would enhance margins and allow ICI to compete in lower price segments of certain markets. Eleison holds six patents and is on pace to generate approximately USD $2 million in revenue in 2011, net of sales to ICI. This transaction is the first step in ICI's vertical integration strategy and would only close subject to ICI securing a major housing contract in the near future.

According to the terms of the option agreement ICI has an exclusive right to acquire substantially all of the Eleison assets including inventory, equipment, customer lists and purchase orders, patents and any other intellectual property, for a period of 120 days. The purchase price is USD $2 million payable on closing plus a product royalty of USD $1 million payable over a maximum of three years after the acquisition. The closing of the transaction is subject to due diligence and the execution of an Acquisition Agreement ("AA") containing such representations and warranties as are customary in a transaction of this type. It is anticipated that current staff would continue managing Eleison's day-to-day operations after the acquisition.

This acquisition would allow ICI to control supply of a strategic raw material that is used in all its products and which is currently subject to lengthy lead times. In addition, patents held by Eleison allow for utilization of recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (commonly known as PET), in the manufacture of thermoplastic skin and core materials. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office approximately 1 million tons of PET water and soft drink bottles end up in landfills annually, potentially making it a readily accessible, no cost raw material for ICI products.

BASF to Build World’s Largest Single-train TDI Plant in Europe

BASF will build the world’s largest single-train TDI (toluene diisocyanate) plant in Europe. The plant will have a capacity of 300,000 metric tons per year and will be fully integrated with precursor production. The TDI plant will be located at one of the company’s integrated Verbund sites in Antwerp, Belgium or Ludwigshafen, Germany and will start production in 2014. Engineering is underway and the final site selection will be announced shortly. TDI is a key component used for polyurethane foams.

Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and responsible for the Plastics segment, said: “This new investment supports BASF’s growth strategy, underlines our leading position as the largest TDI producer and reinforces our strong commitment to the TDI market. BASF will have the ability to serve its customers’ demand through local world-scale production in the largest markets North America, Europe and Asia, in particular China. We have a superior technology and outstanding safety procedures. Moreover, our unique Verbund concept provides us with excellent cost structures."

TDI is a key component for the polyurethanes industry. To a large extent it is used in the automotive industry (e.g. seating cushion and interior applications) as well as in the furniture segment (e.g. flexible foams for mattresses, cushions or wood coating).

Gurit Wins Five-year Supply Contract in Automotive from OEMs

Gurit, a globally leading developer and manufacturer of advanced Composite Materials and technologies, apprised about the signing of a significant parts supply contract for automotive body panels with an existing customer. The contract runs from 2012 through to 2016.

Based on this contract, Gurit will supply an existing customer with "Class A" advanced composite car body panels. The production uses among other technologies and processes also Gurit’s patented SPRINT material technology. The growing automotive business is part of Gurit’s Transportation target market activities.

The contract is worth some CHF 30 million at the minimum procurement volume agreed with the prestigious OEM and could – in the best case – increase by up to 40%.

The follow-on order defines a higher number of composite parts per vehicle compared with the current manufacturing programme. Production will be located on the Isle of Wight (UK) at the existing Gurit facility, which will be expanded.

In co-operation with the customer’s design department, Gurit has also been awarded a supporting contract for aspects of composite design and development. This proves the customer’s trust in Gurit which was mutually earned through good co-operation in the past years.

Nordex Selects VISTAGY’s FiberSIM Software to Develop Composite Wind Turbine Blades

VISTAGY, Inc., apprised that Nordex, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of high-efficiency wind turbines for onshore use, has purchased FiberSIM software to streamline its entire design-to-manufacturing process for composite wind turbine blades. Nordex is using FiberSIM to develop detailed ply designs, accurate flat patterns and manufacturing output, and complete documentation for the engineering release.

FiberSIM will enable Nordex to enhance the automation of its product development process and optimize assembly glue gaps. Nordex also notes that FiberSIM is a "powerful tool" for composite design and manufacturing when used within its Creo Elements/Pro (previously Pro/ENGINEER) CAD system. FiberSIM is fully integrated into the PTC Creo Elements/Pro, Dassault Systemes CATIA, and Siemens NX CAD systems.

"Transferring data between design and analysis can be extremely time-consuming," said Hendrik Klein, chief designer in the Nordex Rotor Blade Division. "But during the testing phase we recognized that if we had a design tool that had a seamless interface to our CAE analysis tools, it would enable us to significantly reduce the product development cycle."

"FiberSIM also enhances the automation of our development processes, helps us improve blade quality, and alleviates time-consuming reworks in the factory."

Wind Consulting

Romeo RIM Installs World’s Largest Long-fiber-injection Molding Machine

Continuing its commitment to commercializing innovative composite technologies, Romeo RIM Inc. has installed the largest long fiber injection (LFI) press in the world, with the capability to produce very large parts measuring up to a record-breaking 121 square feet.

The new press and LFI line was recently unveiled during an event at Romeo RIM’s facility, located north of Detroit. The new machine is a 400 ton, 12’ x 12’ double shuttle press. As a fully automated system, it will ensure the consistency in production of all components. It is also noteworthy that it is the only piece of equipment in North America that will robotically in-mold paint parts.

“Romeo RIM sees this as an opportunity to help our customers take their products to the next level by capitalizing on the many advantages of creating parts with the LFI process,” said Paul Condeelis, vice president of Business Development, Romeo RIM Inc.