JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #146 - June/July 2022 - 65

chain challenge. Virtek has seen certain electronic
parts increase in price from $2.50/unit
to $107/unit. To date, the company has had
sufficient inventory to ride out such extreme
price surges.
Northrop Grumman captured JEC World
attendees' attention with its display of a composite
wing spar with an inside curb of approximately
0.75-inch thickness. The spar was
developed for the Airbus demonstrator project.
The company also showed a Rolls-Royce
rear-fan case and a Z-frame component for the
Airbus A350. Bryan Warren, senior communications
manager, said commercial aircraft
production rates are still down. However,
there has been a demand increase for freighter
variants of commercial aircraft models as DHL
and other shippers plan fleet updates, he said.
Conductive Composites discussed applications
for nickel coating on composite products.
A very thin coating of nickel increases
electrical conductivity and provides a method
for electromagnetic interference (EMI), said
Jason Carling, vice president of engineering
and technology. Nickel coatings also are being
evaluated for lightning strike protection and
thermo-resistive heating. For example, there
could be applications for nickel-coated composites
to mitigate or eliminate icing on wind
turbine blades. " All of these are very exciting,
and we are working with a number of companies
to get these products into commercial applications, "
he said.
Carmelo Fruci, engineering manager, Matec,
said customers want faster quality control systems
to help them achieve better production
rates. Matec offers ultrasonic non-destructive
testing systems for composite materials, including
both core materials and finished products.
Its solutions, used for inspection of a variety
of composite materials including concrete
and solid core products, can be configured
to scan tabletop-sized products up to large
structures of 50 feet long. In general composite
industry trends, he sees growing interest in
robotics for material handling of heavy parts
Conductive Composites caught many JEC World attendees' eyes with a nickel-coated carbon fibre TPC
case offering shielding from electromagnetic interference. Inset: This " casino chip, " made of nickel-coated
composite material, conducted electricity when this small light was switched on.
This is the side view of a composite wing spar
produced by Northrop Grumman. It features a
relatively thick curb of 0.75 inches thick.
as well as for consistent, repeatable motion in
small part production. Brisk Heat, a supplier of
heating elements and temperature controllers,
reported higher demand for heating blankets
and jackets for industrial applications such as
pipes. French USA highlighted its hydraulic
press solutions for processing composite materials
such as PEEK at temperatures of 600 degrees
C and higher. The presses have a clamp
force up to 2,000 metric tons, with standard
platen sizes ranging from 12 inches square to
80 inches square and custom sizes available.
Kyle Kadrovach, sales engineer, French USA,
said customers want to reduce cycle time between
project development, equipment acquisition
and production. To help customers
with this priority, French USA is performing
more equipment upgrades, which can be handled
expediently and are not as affected by industry
supply chain disruptions.
Eastman Machine highlighted its expanded
alliance with Sweden-based ACG Nyström,
part of ACG Gruppen. ACG Nyström is now
an exclusive supplier of Eastman's automated
line and will act as a hub for imported equipment,
parts and consumables. The alliance will
result in a shorter lead time and direct delivery
within the European Union for Eastman Machine
equipment. Robert Stevenson, Eastman
Machine CEO, was at JEC World meeting
with customers and partners. He said customers'
greatest priorities are reliability, labour savings
and cost reduction. Supply chain issues
have affected availability of semiconductor
chips required for computer numeric control
(CNC) machines, but there have been some
improvements lately, he said. Eastman Machine
sees expansion of composite industry
applications across multiple industries, including
marine, automotive, sporting goods, wind
energy and defence. PPG showcased sealants,
coatings, paints and transparencies for
aerospace applications. The company serves
aircraft OEMs, their suppliers and MRO
providers. OEMs typically contract with airlines
to repaint aircraft every seven years, but
this summer, with tourism travel expected to
surge, some airlines might postpone painting
to keep their birds in the air, said Simon
Trundley, sales manager, aerospace products,
United Kingdom. Expanded use of composites
in aerospace is " happening quickly, " he
said. PPG puts a major focus on forecasting
demand to support customers' needs. For
new aircraft production, this includes shipping
PPG products globally so that they are in
place at OEM and tiered supplier factories for
just-in-time use on sub-assembly components
and structures. For example, PPG sealants are
used on many fasteners on composite aircraft
structures, and the appropriate quantity must
be on hand when and where it's needed in the
supply chain. The U.K. truck driver shortage
has posed some port backups, prompting
PPG to divert shipments to different ports as
needed. To confront raw material shortages,
PPG has increased its stock to allow more
time to react, he said. The company's inventories
have returned to 2019 levels. This review
is just a sampling of the new developments,
products, services and trends highlighted by
North American exhibitors at JEC World
2022. As composites industry suppliers continue
to invest in innovation and sustainable
solutions, there will be more strategies, products,
partnerships and progress to discuss.
Kathleen DesMarteau Heberger,
JEC Composites Magazine
External contributor
N°146 June - July 2022 / jec composites magazine
65
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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #146 - June/July 2022

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