carbon nanotube - Composites Weekly

Graphene has been called one of the most extraordinary materials ever discovered. It’s exceptionally strong, lightweight, electrically conductive, and thermally conductive. But more than a decade after capturing the world’s attention, one major question remains: why hasn’t it transformed manufacturing the way so many people predicted?

On this episode, Brad Larschan and Kevin Wyss of Avadain join the show to discuss the past bottlenecks with graphene production and what their company is doing to change this. Avadain is an advanced-materials company commercializing patented technology for producing what it calls Large, Thin, Defect-Free, or LTDF, graphene flakes.

Avadain’s process is designed to produce flakes that preserve the properties that make graphene so remarkable while also being scalable enough for industrial applications. The company has received a $3.77 million NIST-supported federal grant for scale-up, and recently announced that its full-scale graphene reactor is operational.

On this episode, we’ll talk about why all graphene isn’t created equal, what Avadain believes it has solved on the manufacturing side, and, especially for our audience, what large-scale availability of high-quality graphene could mean for composites and advanced materials.

You can learn more about their company by visiting avadaingraphene.com.

The post LTDF Graphene at Scale: How Avadain is Turning This Wonder Material Into Industrial Reality first appeared on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Dr. Yasmin Abdin joins me to discuss her research work innovating a method to transform asphaltene, a byproduct of bitumen processing, into carbon fibers. Bitumen which is typically restricted for use as fuel or asphalt, could now be transformed into more useful and valuable carbon nanofibres.

Dr. Abdin and her colleagues have now turned their research into a startup, Fibernx Technologies, to commercialize their innovation by the end of 2024. You can learn more by visiting www.fibernxtech.com.

The post Transforming Petroleum Byproducts Into Carbon Fibers – Interview with Dr. Yasmine Abdin first appeared on Composites Weekly.

This week Sebastian Pohlmann of UP Catalyst joins the podcast to discuss the world’s first scalable technology for utilizing industrial CO₂ emissions. Their Carbon Nanotubes are directly produced from CO₂ emissions via molten-salt carbon capture and electrochemical transformation.

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) can enhance the mechanical properties of composite materials – improving the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and impact resistance. 

You can learn more about UP Catalyst by visiting https://upcatalyst.com. 

The post Transforming CO₂ into Carbon Nanotubes – Discussing UP Catalyst’s Scalable Technology for Utilizing Greenhouse Gases first appeared on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Thomas Lepretre joins me again on the show to highlight JEC World 2024 coming up in less than two weeks.

This huge event brings together not only all major global companies but also innovative startups in the field of composites and advanced materials.

Thomas will be highlighting what attendees can expect on the show floor during the week of March 5-7, as well as some areas of focus at this year’s event. 

The post Discussing JEC World 2024 with Thomas Lepretre first appeared on Composites Weekly.

On this episode Dan Neumann joins us again to talk about the Composites 2024 Fly-In taking place next week (Feb 26-28) in Washington DC.

This event will provide a unique setting to meet with members of Congress and agency leadership to educate them on the valuable capabilities of composite materials.

You can learn more by visiting https://acma-org.my.site.com/flyin2024. 

The post Discussing the Composites 2024 Fly-In with Dan Neumann of the ACMA first appeared on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Kyle Jordan and Peter Hedger of the ACMA join me for a discussion on workforce development. Kyle is the director of certifications with the ACMA and Peter is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Membership. 

We’ll be talking about a recent workforce development research survey that the ACMA completed, and some of the data from it. The results were clear – the industry wants and needs more training. As we share some of the feedback from companies, we’ll also discuss just how CCT training & certification can help improve employee retention. 

For more info on the ACMA’s CCT certification programs, visit https://acmanet.org. 

The post Discussing Workforce Development and CCT Training with Kyle Jordan and Peter Hedger first appeared on Composites Weekly.

This week, Tyler Alvarado, CEO of Continuous Composites joins me on the show. This company is on a journey to transform manufacturing.

Continuous Composites began with a realization that composites manufacturing was a problem waiting to be solved. Their vision is to break the mold of additive manufacturing and advance new platforms and processes using composite materials. 

They’re developing solutions directly with industry leaders to ensure efficient and effective market entry upon CF3D® commercialization. CF3D® is comprised of hardware, materials, software, and configurable motion platforms to harness the power of composites without the constraints of traditional manufacturing.

You can learn more by visiting https://www.continuouscomposites.com.

You can also follow their LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/continuous-composites. 

Also, Continuous Composites is hosting a technology tour in Huntsville, AL Tuesday, February 6, 8:30 am – 2 pm CST. You can learn from industry experts about the features, benefits, and applications of Continuous Composites’ paradigm-shifting technology.

You can learn more by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/continuous-composites-technology-tour-huntsville-alabama-tickets-761379174607. 

The post Disrupting Manufacturing with the Most Advanced Composites & Additive Manufacturing Solution – Interview with Tyler Alvarado first appeared on Composites Weekly.

For our first podcast of 2024, we wanted to start the year with a discussion on innovation. To compete and be profitable in today’s marketplace, you need big, creative solutions and you need them now.

On this episode, I share an interview with Dr. Roger Firestein. He is the author of the book Create in a Flash: A Leader’s Recipe for Breakthrough Innovation.

Just as you would follow a recipe to cook a great meal, there is a recipe for creating great ideas, and Roger shares it in his book. He’s trained more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world. He helped Clorox solve a 77-year-old problem in 15 minutes and helped save General Motors $50,000 per week! 

Create in a Flash is based on Roger’s 40 years of helping companies unleash the innovation of their workforce. Roger’s clients include AT&T, SC Johnson, Disney, Hilton, NASA, and over 600 other organizations big and small

Roger is a Senior Faculty member at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, and President of Innovation Resources, Inc.

You can learn more about him at https://rogerfirestien.com. 

The post A Leader’s Guide for Breakthrough Innovation – Interview with Dr. Roger Firestien first appeared on Composites Weekly.

This week, John Melilli of Composite Automation LLC joins me on our last podcast episode of 2023. John has over 30 years of experience in the application of mechanical, electrical & industrial automation components and systems for manufacturing. He’s been working with composite part manufacturers since 2004.

Composite Automation is the only manufacturer’s representative firm in North America that focuses on providing innovative composites manufacturing solutions to companies manufacturing various types of composite structures. 

On this episode, we’ll be discussing Fiber Patch Placement (FPP) technology by Cevotec. This system enables manufacturers to build complex fiber composites in high volume. This process has the potential to revolutionize the production of complex lightweight parts in several industries. 

You can learn more about Composite Automation by visiting https://www.compositeautomation.com. 

The post Discussing Fiber Patch Placement Technology with John Melilli of Composite Automation first appeared on Composites Weekly.

Manufacturers in every sector are incorporating promising new processes and materials into product development and production which often involve coating, sealing, and bonding. 

Because these molecular interactions are invisible, a host of unseen environmental conditions can compromise surface integrity during production, leading to costly flaws and breakdowns. 

On this episode, Lucas Dillingham of Brighton Science joins the podcast to highlight their company’s technology – a system that allows manufacturers to confidently assess the surface readiness for bonding, coating, or sealing at the point of preparation.

More than 20 years ago, Brighton Science began as a development lab for plasma polymerized coatings. 

Through research and development work led by their Chief Scientist and founder Dr. Giles Dillingham, Brighton Science made great strides in the field of material science and adhesives in manufacturing. 

It was during this time that Brighton Science developed the Surface Analyst, the first hand-held contact angle measurement device used in the development of adhesive bonding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. 

You can learn more about their technology by visiting https://www.brighton-science.com. 

The post Discussing Brighton Science’s Innovative Technology for Measuring The Surface Readiness of Parts for Adhesion first appeared on Composites Weekly.