#Composites

2025-06-26

FLYING WHALES selects HEXCEL for the supply of composites materials for its LCA60T AIRSHIP

In order to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, FLYING WHALES (FLWH) and HEXCEL are collaborating on an exciting project to develop the most adapted solutions for airship structures.

Flying Whales and Hexcel are celebrating the collaboration © 2025 Hexcel

The team is proud to collaborate with Hexcel, a global leader in advanced composite materials for aerospace applications. Hexcel’s extensive experience and innovation in carbon fiber technology have established the company as a trusted partner in the industry.

For the airship project, a wide range of Hexcel’s products has been selected, with particular emphasis on HexTow® IMA Carbon Fiber. This material has been chosen for the pultruded tubes that form the skeleton of the airship.

HexTow® IMA offers an exceptional balance between cost-efficiency and high mechanical performance, including superior tensile strength and modulus—making it ideally suited to the demands of the airship’s innovative structure. Hexcel’s ongoing commitment to advancing composite technologies supports the project's goals of achieving outstanding performance and reliability.

"Together with Flying Whales, we are thrilled to be part of the visionary LCA60T airship project — a bold step forward that perfectly aligns with Hexcel’s purpose: “We propel the future of flight and transportation through excellence in advanced material solutions that create a better world for us all.

Over the past two years, Flying Whales and Hexcel have made significant progress together to develop a comprehensive range of cutting-edge composite materials. To meet Flying Whales' requirements and technical constraints, Hexcel has developed materials such as prepregs, carbon fibers, fabrics, adhesives... Our composites are lighter and stronger than any other comparable material, enabling cleaner, more efficient and more sustainable air mobility. We are very proud to be working with Flying Whales to achieve excellence and customer satisfaction", says Thierry Merlot, President, Europe Middle East Africa Asia Pacific, HEXCEL.

Vincent Guibout, CEO, FLYING WHALES, says: "Working with HEXCEL Composites has been a great journey. Their expertise in composite raw materials, their ability to develop and qualify aerospace products and to provide the most adapted solution have been crucial in bringing the LCA60T airship to life. This airship represents a significant leap forward in developing sustainable cargo transport, and we are excited to see the positive impact it will have on improving logistics in remote areas. By leveraging strong and light-weight composite materials, we are committed to creating an airship with minimal environmental impact."

Hexcel highlights latest innovations for aerospace applications at Aero India 2025

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE: HXL) a global leader in advanced composite technologies for aerospace applications, will exhibit at Aero India 2025, Bengaluru, India. As a trusted partner to the Indian aerospace industry for over 40 years, Hexcel will highlight its latest innovations in lightweight, high-performance materials designed to enhance efficiency and sustainability in aerospace applications.

MEL Composites delivers advanced hull infusion for Técnico Solar Boat’s hydrogen-powered São Gabriel 01

MEL Composites has reinforced its partnership with Técnico Solar Boat through the successful hull infusion of the São Gabriel 01, an 8m long, 2.4m wide, hydrogen-powered hydrofoiling vessel. Designed to compete at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge in July 2026, the São Gabriel 01 is the team’s most technically demanding project to date and showcases the future of sustainable marine engineering by combining advanced composite manufacturing with clean energy systems.

Sicomin appoints CS Kompozyty as exclusive Distributor for Poland

Sicomin is pleased to announce the appointment of CS Kompozyty as its exclusive distributor for Poland. The partnership will provide Polish composite manufacturers with comprehensive access to Sicomin's broad range of performance epoxy resins, green epoxies, hardeners, and adhesive solutions, supported by local technical expertise and rapid delivery capabilities.

JEC World 2026 reveals the list of finalists for the Innovation Awards

Each year, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards recognize collaborative, innovative, and ambitious projects that illustrate the potential of composite materials. Created in 1998, this benchmark program aims to identify, promote, and reward the most innovative composite solutions worldwide. In 28 years, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards have attracted more than 2,200 participating companies from around the world. A total of 269 companies and 811 associated partners have been recognized for the excellence of their innovations.

MUNICH FABRIC START: Between Attitude and Sensuality

The future begins where we reimagine it. After seasons of restraint, Spring.Summer 27 marks a conscious counter-trend: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom are replacing pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance – as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion, and algorithmic predictability. The overarching theme of PLEASURE stands for fashion as an emotional space, as an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces, and materials become vehicles for self-confidence and joie de vivre.

organIQ seek: smart alternative to potassium permanganate

CHT Group announces new technical findings within its organIQ seek platform that significantly advance the transition toward permanganate-free denim bleaching. Through extensive industrial testing and application research, CHT confirms that organIQ seek can now be used with remarkable effectiveness as a substitute for potassium permanganate in spray bleach, while remaining aligned with sustainability expectations and cost realities in the European market. At the COLOMBIATEX in Medellín as well as at the Exintex in Puebla and the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam the CHT Group will present organIQ seek as an alternative to potassium permanganate.

PERFORMANCE DAYS: Focus topic shifts to the beginning of the value chain

Following the last Focus Topic in October 2025, which placed Textile-to-Textile Recycling at its core, PERFORMANCE DAYS continues to drive the conversation around circularity – this time with an expanded and more upstream perspective. The upcoming Focus Topic, “Textile to Textile: The Role of Collectors and Sorters,” presented during the spring edition on March 18–19, will spotlight one of the most essential yet often overlooked components of a functioning circular textile system: the efficient collection and sorting of post-consumer textiles.

Proven performance, optimised costs – the new RE 6 EL

Nowadays textile companies increasingly need to produce small production runs and respond to market changes with instantaneous pattern changes in order to operate profitably – meaning they require machines that offer maximum flexibility, reliability and cost efficiency. KARL MAYER understands the challenges of the market and is launching its new RE 6 EL. The Raschel machine offers the core strengths of the classic RSE 6 EL and essentially the same performance parameters, but has been further cost-optimised largely due to local production advantages. This makes the newcomer an efficiency champion in production, especially when it comes to frequent pattern changes.