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Manned Systems

Selecting the Best Plastic for Spacecraft Applications

The purpose of this article is to present some design considerations when selecting plastics for use in spacecraft. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Materials

Confidence Through Testing: How to Design a Practical Structural Test Program

Here, we share a practical approach to building a structural testing strategy grounded in real-world challenges.

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Materials

A New Aircraft Recycling Program for Thermoplastic Composites

Toray Advanced Composites, Daher, and TARMAC Aerosave recently announced the launch of a joint End-of-Life Aerospace Recycling Program for commercial aircraft production. Working...

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Design

A New Platform for Developing Advanced Aerospace Metals at Scale

Companies building next-generation products are often limited by the physical constraints of traditional materials. In aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial tooling,...

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Design

3D Printing Parts for Ships, Submarines and Underwater Vehicles

Additive manufacturing has been a game-changer in helping to create parts and equipment for the Department of Defense’s (DoD's) industrial base. A naval facility in...

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Design

Clean Sky Demonstrator Fuselage Shows Potential of Thermoplastics in Aircraft Production

Suspended between discrete skeletal jigs, it wouldn't attract a second glance on an aircraft assembly line. Yet inside an anonymous hangar in northern...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Supernova to 3D Print Military Grade Energetic Materials

The American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation (ACMI) has awarded a $2 million subcontract to Supernova Defense & Space to 3D print military-grade energetic materials.

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Defense

How Off-Gassing Keeps Divers, Submariners Safe From Toxin-Releasing Materials

Everyone knows that new car smell — the chemical odor wafting off the new plastics, fabrics and other materials in a vehicle's interior. Those smells are caused...

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Aerospace

Characterizing the Performance of Variable Emissivity Materials in Space

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) launched the Space Power InfraRed Regulation and Analysis of Lifetime, or SPIRRAL, experiment, Nov. 4, 2024. SPIRRAL, flown by...

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Briefs
Energy

Using Artificial Intelligence to Find the Polymers of the Future

Finding the next groundbreaking polymer is always a challenge, but now Georgia Tech researchers are using AI to shape and transform the future of the field. Rampi Ramprasad’s group develops and adapts AI algorithms to accelerate materials discovery. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Materials

Aitiip Integrates Freeform Injection Molding to Lower Weight and Reduce Production Costs

Aitiip is a leading Spanish research and development institute and serves companies in the aeronautics, automation, industrial, and packaging sectors. The institute possesses strong platforms for the characterization of materials and processes and is known as a powerful integrator of technologies, which is constantly on the lookout for the next transformative technology.

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Briefs
Manned Systems

‘Nanostitches’ Enable Lighter and Tougher Composite Materials

To save on fuel and reduce aircraft emissions, engineers are looking to build lighter, stronger airplanes out of advanced composites. These engineered materials are made from high-performance fibers that are embedded in polymer sheets. The sheets can be stacked and pressed into one multilayered material and made into extremely lightweight and durable structures.

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Articles
Manned Systems

Aerospace Production: Overcoming Challenges in Composite Machining

Composite materials play an important role in aerospace manufacturing. The light weight, durability and ability to create complex shapes from molds make these materials ideal for frames and structural components that enable lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

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Defense

US Companies Advance DoD Investment in Rare Earth Materials Supply Chain

Since 2020, the Department of Defense (DoD) has invested $400 million into U.S.-based companies to expand the domestic supply chain for rare earth materials needed to...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

A Computational Method for Creating New Ceramics with Transition Metals

Extraordinarily rugged with a melting temperature of several thousand degrees Fahrenheit. That describes the results of research into new ceramic materials sponsored by...

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Materials

Army Launches $50 Million Advanced Manufacturing Initiative for Aviation and Weapon Systems

The U.S. Army has awarded a $50 million three-year research project to Auburn University to understand how new manufacturing materials and methods...

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Articles
Aerospace

Unlocking the Potential of 3D-Printed Polymers in Aerospace and Defense

As we look ahead, it’s evident that the aerospace and defense industries are at the forefront of leveraging the potential of additive manufacturing. They are the main reason for the advent of high-performance polymers in AM.

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Articles
Test & Measurement

Ensure Aerospace Composite Quality with Force Measurement, Material Testing

Force measurement and material testing is an essential process for product designers and manufacturers to ensure part integrity, and to gain insightful data for creating the highest quality composite components.

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Briefs
Materials

Towards Sustainable Recycling of Epoxy-Based Polymers: Approaches and Challenges of Epoxy Biodegradation

Epoxy polymers are widely used in various industries. However, the disposal of epoxy polymers and composites thereof has become a significant concern due to their recalcitrant nature and the adverse environmental effects caused by traditional recycling methods.

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Briefs
Materials

Composite Repair Engineering Case Studies for U.S. Army Aerostructures

As technologies develop, aircraft mature, and strides are made in advanced materials development and analysis, aircraft have increased use of advanced composites within the aerostructure. These advanced materials are now being used in highly loaded structures, including aerodynamic profiles.

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Briefs
Materials

Modeling and Experimenting with 2D Materials for CMOS Type Devices and Digital Integrated Circuits

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have been proposed as novel optoelectronic materials for space applications due to their relatively light weight. MoS2 has been shown to have excellent semiconducting and photonic properties. Here, we report the effect of gamma irradiation on the structural and optical properties of a monolayer of MoS2.

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Articles
Materials

Exploring High-Performance Applications for Distributed Transport Property Thermoelectrics

This new, patented distributed transport property technology describes functionally graded materials with spatially varied transport properties.

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Aerospace

Air Force Explores Use of Thermoplastic Fin for F-16

Collins Aerospace was awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory to build an advanced, high-impact resistant, F-16 ventral fin using Collins’ thermoplastic welding...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Air Force Wind Tunnel Team Takes 3D Printing Program to Next Dimension

It started with a piece here, a small part there. But since its inception at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 in White Oak,...

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News
Imaging

SAE International Extends Call for Abstracts, Seeks Submissions for AeroTech Conference

Engineering Events staff at SAE International in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, have extended the call for abstracts through September 21 for the...

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Materials

NASA to Increase Sustainable Aircraft Manufacturing with HiCAM

One of the aeronautical challenges of the 21st century is finding a way to quickly construct new, sustainable aircraft. Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM), one of...

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Articles
Aerospace

Using Open-Cavity Plastic Packages in Avionics Applications

See which methods can help semiconductors meet very tight time-to-market windows.

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Aerospace

Unlocking the Digital Potential in Composite Manufacturing

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has worked with the National Composites Centre (NCC), Cranfield University and aerospace engineering...

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Articles
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Developing Thermoplastic Composites for Use in Commercial Aircraft

Thermoplastic composite materials (TPC) are gaining momentum for use in commercial airplanes and other aerospace applications, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

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