BASICS

Consumer

Composites end markets: Electronics (2023)

Increasingly, prototype and production-ready smart devices featuring thermoplastic composite cases and other components provide lightweight, optimized sustainable alternatives to metal.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Composites end markets: Electronics (2023) image
Marine

Composites end markets: Boatbuilding and marine (2023)

While the recreational boating market is challenged to meet record-breaking sales in 2020 and 2021, composite materials and design innovation are abound, with a noticeable focus on 3D printing, biomaterials and sustainability.

Wind/Energy

Composites end markets: Energy (2023)

Composites are used widely in oil/gas, wind and other renewable energy applications. Despite market challenges, growth potential and innovation for composites continue.

CompositesWorld SourceBook 2023

Welcome to the online SourceBook, the counterpart to CompositesWorld's annually published print SourceBook composites industry buyer's guide.

Automotive

Composites end markets: Automotive (2023)

Electrification and a focus on sustainability lead to opportunities and innovations in composites, from battery enclosures to structural components and more.

Construction

Composites end markets: Civil infrastructure (2023)

Growth and potential grow for wider composites adoption in bridges, rebar and other concrete reinforcement and other infrastructure applications and repair.

Defense

Materials & Processes: Fiber formats for composites

Fibers used to reinforce composites are supplied directly by fiber manufacturers and indirectly by converters in a number of different forms, which vary depending on the application. Here's a guide to what's available.

UV Cured Powder Coating on Carbon Fiber- Demo
Consumer

Composites end markets: Sports and recreation (2023)

Interest in higher performance and more sustainability drive new composite materials innovations in sporting goods and other consumer products.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Composites end markets: Sports and recreation (2023) image
Carbon Fibers

The state of recycled carbon fiber

As the need for carbon fiber rises, can recycling fill the gap?

Molds/Tools

Materials & Processes: Tooling for composites

Composite parts are formed in molds, also known as tools. Tools can be made from virtually any material. The material type, shape and complexity depend upon the part and length of production run. Here's a short summary of the issues involved in electing and making tools.

Natural Fibers

Materials & Processes: Fibers for composites

The structural properties of composite materials are derived primarily from the fiber reinforcement. Fiber types, their manufacture, their uses and the end-market applications in which they find most use are described.

Aerospace

Materials & Processes: Composites fibers and resins

Compared to legacy materials like steel, aluminum, iron and titanium, composites are still coming of age, and only just now are being better understood by design and manufacturing engineers. However, composites’ physical properties — combined with unbeatable light weight — make them undeniably attractive. 

Aerospace

Materials & Processes: Resin matrices for composites

The matrix binds the fiber reinforcement, gives the composite component its shape and determines its surface quality. A composite matrix may be a polymer, ceramic, metal or carbon. Here’s a guide to selection.

Injection/Overmolding

Materials & Processes: Fabrication methods

There are numerous methods for fabricating composite components. Selection of a method for a particular part, therefore, will depend on the materials, the part design and end-use or application. Here's a guide to selection.

Energy Storage

Composites end markets: Pressure vessels (2023)

The composite pressure vessel market is fast-growing and now dominated by demand for hydrogen storage.

Jeff Sloan
Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld

Composites end markets: Pressure vessels (2023) image
Construction

Composites end markets: Construction (2022)

The construction industry is an economy unto itself, and will be worth more than $15 trillion annually by 2030. More than 36 million new housing units will be required in the world’s 20 largest cities by 2025. Legacy materials dominate in this market, but the opportunities for composites are substantial, and growing.

Composites end markets: Industrial (2022)

Composites often must meet a certain aesthetic in applications where the consumer is the end user. But fiber-reinforced materials are just as valuable in industrial applications where corrosion resistance, high strength and durability are the performance key.

Aerospace

Composites end markets: Aerospace (2022)

The distribution of vaccine and the apparent retreat of COVID-19 — even if sporadic and uneven — has allowed passengers to return to flying again with increased confidence. But the commercial aircraft landscape seems permanently altered by the pandemic. 

Construction

Composites end markets: Utility infrastructure (2022)

Durability, corrosion resistance and a variety of other factors make composite materials an increasingly popular material for a variety of utility infrastructure applications, from utility poles to trench covers.

Filament Winding

Composites end markets: Pressure vessels (2022)

Global goals to reach zero emissions by 2050 drive high growth in composite pressure vessels.

Consumer

Composites end markets: Electronics (2022)

Composites are increasingly being investigated for consumer electronics applications to solve weight, durability or radio-transparency issues.

Urban Air Mobility

Composites end markets: Aerospace (2023)

With COVID in the past and passengers flying again, commercial aircraft production is ramping up. The aerocomposites supply chain is busy developing new M&P for an approaching next-generation aircraft program.

Jeff Sloan
Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld

Composites end markets: Aerospace (2023) image
Automotive

Composites end markets: Automotive (2022)

As the automotive industry begins the transition from internal combustion to electric powertrains, composite materials are making a case for lightweighting and sustainability.

Energy Storage

Composites end markets: Fuel cells and batteries (2022)

Fuel cell vehicles are slated for high growth while battery electric vehicles ramp in production, both are driving new developments in composites materials and processes.

Wind/Energy

Composites end markets: Oil and gas (2022)

Non-corrosive composites continue to be attractive for offshore and onshore oil and gas applications and components — and for energy storage in an evolving energy landscape.

Consumer

Composites end markets: Sports and recreation (2022)

Composites use continues to grow across sporting goods markets, thanks to rising consumer demands and new material developments.

Marine

Composites end markets: Boatbuilding and marine (2022)

Boat sales remain high during the pandemic, with carbon and glass fiber still in high demand. 3D printing, biomaterials and recycling move forward while hydrogen propulsion grows rapidly with the pursuit of zero emissions.

Wind/Energy

Composites end markets: Renewable energy (2022)

Driven by growth in offshore wind and global renewable energy and emissions reduction targets, wind energy continues to dominate composites use and R&D efforts.

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