#Composites

2024-02-15

Cobra International will present watersports composites at JEC World 2024

Cobra International, a leading manufacturer of advanced composite products for the water sports, automotive, marine, and industrial sectors, will showcase the accuracy and consistency requirements for Olympic sporting equipment as it presents the iQFOiL windsurf board at JEC World 2024.

The iQFOiL 95 is the official 2024 Olympic Windsurfing Class and is the supplied equipment to be used by both male and female sailors. The 220 x 95 cm board has a PVC, carbon and glass fibre sandwich construction that is vacuum moulded over an EPS foam core. Cobra is the only manufacturer allowed to produce these boards and must adhere to the tightest tolerances for dimensions, weight and production accuracy. In addition to supplying the equipment for the 48 men and women who have qualified for the Olympic event in Marseille, France, which begins on 28 July 2024, Cobra has had to match this level of exceptional product quality for the hundreds of boards required by sailors aiming for qualification at the 2024 games and those in the future.

Cobra will also showcase its depth of expertise in watersports composites by presenting the ultimate prepreg eFoil board – a Marc Newson collaboration with Flite – as well as a lightweight carbon fibre slalom canoe, a full carbon production surfboard and a natural hemp fibre reinforced board.

Cobra Advanced Composites (CAC), the automotive business of composite products manufacturer Cobra International, will present a variety of different visual carbon fibre parts in autoclave, SMC and compression moulded technology. Furthermore, CAC will showcase components made with sustainable natural fibres featuring various optical finishes. CAC has supplied automotive customers with lightweight composite components since 2006, and now offers a range of different materials, construction methods and surface finish options that allow premium car and motorcycle OEMs to select the optimum choice for their project.

“JEC World 2024 offers a unique global perspective on the latest innovations in the composite world. We are particularly proud to showcase a piece of composite Olympic history this year, highlighting the exceptional quality and absolute consistency that the Cobra team have demonstrated with the new foiling iQFOiL 95 board we will present in Paris. Across the watersports, automotive, UAV and industrial design sectors – Cobra provides this same level of focus on every part it manufactures.” says Danu Chotikapanich, CEO, Cobra International.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

WHILL selects Teijin’s tough, lightweight Carbon Fiber Composite for new last-mile mobility

Teijin Limited announced today that WHILL Inc., a global leader in inclusive mobility technology, has selected Sereebo® P CFP series, a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) material, for key structural components of the upcoming WHILL Model C Lite. Sereebo® P CFP series provides high strength, light weight, design flexibility and system cost advantages to the Model C Lite, which is a battery powered, single-seat, last-mile device. This new model combines maneuverability with light weight and one-handed folding to ensure ease of handling and operation.

Fewer pores, greater impact tolerance: Peter Dornier Foundation Prize 2026 honours material research on fibre-reinforced composite components for aerospace industry

Microscopically small pores that form during manufacture, or barely visible impact damage, can severely impair the load-bearing capacity and service life of fibre-reinforced composite components. Two young researchers have presented groundbreaking work in this field and will both be awarded the 2026 Peter Dornier Foundation Prize: Dr.-Ing. Benedikt Neitzel from the Technical University of Ilmenau for his doctoral thesis on pore minimisation in the RTM process, and Johanna Buschmann, M.Sc., for her master’s thesis, completed at the German Aerospace Centre, on the improved impact tolerance of 3D fabrics compared to 2D laminates.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues 2026 concludes with 50 international participants immersed in Brazilian cotton production

The Cotton Brazil Dialogues concludes its 2026 edition after a series of technical visits to farms, cotton gins and reference centers, as well as workshops focused on Brazilian cotton production. A total of 50 participants from 14 countries took part in the field trips. The initiative is led by the Brazilian Association of Cotton Growers (Abrapa) and the National Association of Cotton Exporters (Anea), with support from the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).

ZymoChem secures $4 million in renewed federal funding to advance U.S. biomanufacturing of critical materials and their supply chains

ZymoChem, the specialty chemicals company dedicated to bringing decarbonization, sustainability, and supply chain resiliency to the chemical industry through innovative biological manufacturing, today announced the resumption and expansion of its federal research portfolio. The company has been notified that previously paused work under a $5 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program is officially back on, to be joined by continuing collaborations with three of the nation's premier national laboratories.

RDJ 6/2 in E 32: Finesse in Motion

The appearance of sports and casual shoes is as diverse as their applications, ranging from sporty to stylish and from functional to fashionably practical. In particular, spacer fabrics produced on highly flexible KARL MAYER double needle bar raschel machines with Jacquard technology are in high demand for manufacturing these trendy shoes. These efficient production machines enable attractive designs with integrated multifunctional zones on one or both fabric surfaces, such as breathable mesh structures. Flexible in size and positioning, these features enhance both aesthetics and wearing comfort.