Xenia Materials Introduces the High Modulus Upgrade
Xenia Materials has launched the High Modulus (HM) Upgrade, a new technology that boosts the stiffness of carbon‑fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. The upgrade delivers roughly a 15% increase in tensile modulus, tensile strength and flexural modulus while preserving the material’s low density. Impact resistance can rise up to 20% depending on the polymer matrix. The HM Upgrade is compatible with the Xecarb® family across a wide range of polymers, from PA66 to PP, targeting aerospace, motorsport, industrial and sports applications.
Metyx CEO Uğur Üstünel Joins EPTA Board
Metyx CEO Uğur Üstünel has been appointed to the board of the European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA), a body that unites leading pultrusion firms to advance technology and standards. Metyx, operating in Europe and the United States, recently launched continuous filament...
Agy and Saertex Combine Fibres with Multiaxial Fabric Configurations
Agy and Saertex have teamed up to merge Agy’s patented S‑2 glass fibre with Saertex’s engineered multiaxial non‑crimp fabrics. The hybrid material delivers higher tensile, impact and fatigue resistance while remaining lightweight and compatible with infusion, RTM, prepreg, compression and...
US$25M for Aerospace & Defence Composite Manufacturer Hybron
Hybron Technologies closed an oversubscribed $25 million seed round led by Marque Ventures, with participation from a slate of venture firms and angel investors. The company says its carbon‑fiber process can produce composites up to 100 times faster and at a fraction...
Joby, Archer, Vertical Aerospace… eVTOLs Back in the Spotlight
U.S. eVTOL pioneers Joby Aviation and Archer were chosen for the White House‑backed Electric Vertical Take‑off and Landing Integration Pilot Programme, allowing early community deployments before full FAA certification. Joby will begin test flights in ten states, while Archer readies...
Double-Double Structures Offer Simplified Design, Testing and Manufacturing
The Double-Double laminate replaces the traditional Quad ply schedule with a 0°/‑60°/60°/0° sequence, creating a homogeneous composite that behaves like steel. Its repeatable building block eliminates the need for cross‑plies and allows ply drops without altering mechanical performance, making tapered...
Slack & Parr Metering Pumps Commissioned for Carbon Fibre Plant in India
UK pump maker Slack & Parr has supplied 21 acrylic metering pumps for a new carbon‑fibre production line in India. The pumps, offered in three sizes (1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 cc/rev), feature bespoke drive units with special couplings, gearboxes and electric brakes. They...
China: A Composite Material 26% Stronger for Drones, Planes and Rockets
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in partnership with HKUST and Stanford, have created an AI‑enhanced tool that streamlines the design of fibre‑reinforced composite laminates. By employing balanced layer patterns—double‑balanced and triple‑balanced—the method delivers uniform properties while simplifying manufacturing....
A French High-Temperature Composites Sector for Technological Sovereignty
IRT Saint‑Exupéry, together with the Agence de l’innovation de défense, has launched the COMPINNOV HT+ project to develop high‑temperature organic matrix composites for aeronautics, space and defence. Within a year the consortium—spanning Safran, ArianeGroup, MBDA, CEA‑Liebherr, Specific Polymers and several SMEs—has...
VAC Innovation to Distribute Toray’s AmberTool HX56 Tooling Prepreg in the UK
VAC Innovation has signed an MoU with Toray Advanced Composites to become the UK distributor of AmberTool HX56, a low‑temperature curing epoxy tooling prepreg. The partnership, announced at JEC World 2026, enables VAC to supply custom‑sized prepreg kits and maintain larger...
Tricel Strengthens Its Position in the Composites Sector Through the Acquisition of Matrix Composite Materials
Tricel Group completed the acquisition of UK distributor Matrix Composite Materials on 1 April 2026, adding a Bristol‑based supplier of epoxy systems, carbon‑fibre reinforcements and vacuum consumables. Matrix, founded in 1997, serves automotive, marine, motorsport, offshore and chemical processing sectors and maintains...
In Safety Infrastructure, the Shift From Steel to GRP
Traditional steel guardrails are increasingly being replaced by glass‑reinforced plastic (GRP) systems due to corrosion concerns, especially in coastal and humid environments. Engineered Composites’ Engrail 51 mm box‑section modular guardrail offers a lightweight, pultruded GRP solution with a load‑bearing capacity of...
Aerospace Logistics: Daher Strengthens Its Partnership with Safran
Safran has awarded Daher two new aerospace‑logistics contracts. In Hamburg, Daher will station a 20‑person team to handle engine‑nacelle integration for the A320neo program, expanding its existing logistics footprint in Germany. In France, Daher will build a 3,000 m² platform in...
Pultrall Launches V-ROD Fibreglass Rebar Production Facility in Ohio
Pultrall has opened a 127,000‑square‑foot V‑ROD fibreglass rebar plant in Edon, Ohio, doubling its production capacity. The new facility helps the company meet the Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements that now apply to its products. Pultrall expects the plant...
From Steel to Composite, a Strategic Transformation of European Power Grids
TenneT, the Dutch transmission system operator, has launched a multi‑year programme to replace its extra‑high‑voltage steel conductors with composite‑core cables. Epsilon Composite, via its Epsilon Cable unit, secured a framework agreement to supply these advanced conductors. The move aims to...
Exel Develops a Fire-Rated Composite Material Suitable for Use in Construction
Exel Composites has launched a halogen‑free, fire‑rated pultruded composite that meets Euroclass B‑s2,d0 under EN 13501‑1 and mechanical class E23 under EN 13706. Independent British and French labs confirmed low flame spread, minimal smoke, and no flaming droplets. The material is applicable...
Low-Footprint Epoxy with Tunable Latency Enables Recycled Carbon Fibre Mat Adoption
A new low‑footprint epoxy with tunable latency enables reliable impregnation of recycled carbon‑fibre mats, paving the way for mass‑production of lightweight automotive composites. Traditional epoxy systems are carbon‑intensive, creating a paradox as the industry seeks to meet stringent Scope 3 emission...
Arclin Completes Acquisition of the DuPont Aramids Business Including Kevlar and Nomex
Arclin has completed the acquisition of DuPont’s Aramids business, including the Kevlar and Nomex brands, for roughly $1.8 billion. The deal adds about 1,800 Aramids employees and expands Arclin’s manufacturing footprint across Europe and Asia. With the new assets, Arclin’s portfolio...
Toray Is Raising Its Prices Following a Surge in Raw Material Costs
Toray Industries announced a temporary surcharge on select products to offset sharply higher crude oil, naphtha and other petrochemical raw material costs driven by escalating Middle East tensions. The price adjustment targets performance chemicals, carbon‑fibre composites, fibres and textiles, with...
Numerical Modelling of Homogenisation Techniques for Advanced Composite Analysis
Finite element homogenisation translates heterogeneous composites into equivalent homogeneous models, allowing accurate macro‑scale analysis. The process involves building a repeating unit cell or representative volume element, assigning constituent properties, applying periodic or homogeneous boundary conditions, and extracting effective material properties....
Neptune Project: Advanced Technologies for Thick Composite Structures
Europe’s Neptune project is developing a low‑energy infusion process combined with a new multiaxial carbon reinforcement to produce thick marine composite structures. Led by Crazy Lobster with partners Saertex, Ifremer and K‑Challenge, the 24‑month effort aims to replace energy‑intensive autoclave...
SHD Composites: Slovenian Defence Cluster and Make UK Defence 3 Membership
SHD, a Cambium subsidiary, announced formal membership in the Slovenian Defence Cluster and an upgrade to Level 3 membership within Make UK Defence. The moves expand its collaborative footprint across Central Europe and the United Kingdom, reinforcing its role in supplying dual‑use...
Dr Moritz Fichtmüller Takes over as Head of Büfa
Dr. Moritz Fichtmüller will become chief executive of the Büfa Group on 1 March 2026, succeeding long‑time CEO Felix Thalmann. Thalmann highlighted the company’s strong international presence, innovative solutions and resilient supply chains. Fichtmüller, a physicist with senior roles in the chemical...
Syensqo: Heike Van De Kerkhof Appointed Chair of the Board of Directors and Martine Snels Independent Non-Executive Director
Syensqo announced that Heike van de Kerkhof will assume the role of independent chair of its board on March 3, 2026, succeeding Rosemary Thorne. The board also welcomed former Allnex CEO Miguel Mantas and industrial veteran Martine Snels as independent directors, while...
Rise of AI: Jushi Has Put Into Operation Its Largest Electronic Glass Fibre Production Line
China’s Jushi has commissioned a 100,000‑tonne‑per‑year electronic glass fibre line at its Huai’an zero‑carbon intelligent manufacturing base, the world’s largest of its kind. The new line lifts Jushi’s share of the global electronic glass fibre market to roughly 28%, reinforcing...
Pultrusion Company Receives the King of the Netherlands for Facility Opening
Prince Fibre, a Dutch family‑run pultrusion specialist, opened a new 3,700 m² production facility in Kampen on March 20, 2026, with King Willem‑Alexander presiding over the ceremony. The modern plant adds a larger production hall, warehouse and office space, enabling faster...
Lockheed Martin to Explore Coexpair’s Solutions to Improve F-35 Manufacturing
Lockheed Martin and Belgian composite specialist Coexpair have signed an MOU to explore manufacturing advanced composite parts for the F‑35 fighter. Coexpair will use its SQRTM 4.0 automated resin transfer molding platform and Maestro AI‑driven software to design and test representative...
Through a Partnership with Ban Mao Green Coating, Swancor Launches Its CleaVER Solution in the Construction Sector
Swancor Regener has teamed with Ban Mao Green Coating to launch the Eco‑Stone Circular Economy Series, using CleaVER® technology to chemically degrade wind‑turbine thermoset waste into high‑purity oligomers. The recovered oligomers are blended at 11 % into Ban Mao’s construction coatings,...
BlueWind Invests US$4.4 Million to Accelerate Growth and Build New Headquarters
BlueWind, a Florida‑based composite manufacturer, announced a US$4.4 million investment to acquire a 10‑acre site and install new production equipment, including a $1.2 million CNC machine. The funds will also finance a new headquarters that will consolidate its current 93,000‑sq‑ft footprint into...
Zhongfu Shenying Launches T1200 Carbon Fibre
Zhongfu Shenying unveiled its T1200 carbon fibre, a high‑performance material, at JEC World 2026, claiming the world’s first production of this grade. The company can initially produce 100 tonnes annually, with a scalable target of 200 tonnes to meet demand. T1200 is aimed...
Saertex Subsidiary Fiberserve Establishes Kit-Cutting Capacity in Mexico
Saertex’s Fiberserve unit has launched a dedicated kit‑cutting facility within the group’s Mexican plant, adding capacity for custom‑cut infusion and reinforcement kits used in wind turbine rotor blades. The new line promises tighter process reliability, shorter lead times and higher...
Engel Fully Automates the Production of Composite Rotor Blades for Drones
Engel Austria unveiled a fully automated production line for composite drone rotor blades at JEC World, merging reinforcement placement, core injection, and final trimming in a single injection‑moulding cycle. The process uses carbon‑fibre‑reinforced thermoplastic tapes as load‑bearing skins and a...
Belotti and Moi Composites Launch Belotti Powered by Moi Machining Centres
Belotti S.p.A. and Moi Composites have launched a strategic partnership that embeds Moi’s Short Fiber Manufacturing (SFM) additive technology into Belotti’s gantry CNC machining centres. The hybrid platform, branded “Belotti Powered by Moi,” combines UV‑cured thermoset composite deposition with high‑precision...
Icomat to Open Two New Factories in the UK and the US
Icomat, the British composites specialist behind the patented Rapid Tow Shearing process, is launching two new factories – a 40,000‑sq‑ft plant in Swindon, UK, and a 41,000‑sq‑ft facility in Vandalia, Ohio, USA. The Swindon site adds 20 CNC machines, four...
A Book on the History of Composites Released
At JEC World, Ignaas Verpoest and co‑editors unveiled *The History of Composites: People, Science, Technology, and Society*, a near‑1000‑page reference documenting the evolution of composite materials. The volume aggregates contributions from more than 50 international experts, tracing developments from ancient...
Diab and Hankuk Join Forces to Advance High-Value-Added Marine Composites
Diab, a Swedish supplier of high‑performance core materials, and South Korea’s Hankuk Carbon signed a memorandum of understanding at JEC World 2026 in Paris. The agreement targets joint research on marine‑grade structural sandwich panels and sustainable composite solutions. Both firms...
Biesterfeld Is Going to Distribute Lynxter’s Industrial IDEX 3D Printing Platform
Biesterfeld has begun distributing Lynxter’s S300X IDEX 3D‑printing platform across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, extending a partnership that launched in Norway last year. The industrial system combines dual‑extruder IDEX technology with the ability to process real RTV2, LSR silicone and...
Hexcel Appoints James Coogan as New Chief Financial Officer
Hexcel announced that James (Jamie) Coogan will assume the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer on May 1, 2026, reporting to CEO Tom Gentile. Coogan brings more than two decades of finance, accounting, and investor‑relations experience, most recently as...
Arkema Expands Its Kynar PVDF Production Capacity in China
Arkema announced a 20 % expansion of its Changshu Kynar® PVDF plant in China, slated for 2028. The boost aims to meet accelerating demand across the Asia‑Pacific region, driven by electric‑vehicle batteries, energy‑storage systems, high‑performance coatings, and semiconductor manufacturing. The Changshu...
Ukraine Wants to Reinforce Its Cooperation with Europe in the Aerospace Industry
A delegation of 15 Ukrainian aerospace and unmanned‑systems leaders attended JEC World 2026 to pitch deeper European cooperation on composite materials. Ukraine, already skilled in aerospace and rocketry, now produces 4‑4.5 million drones a year and seeks dual‑use technology that serves...
JEC World 2026: Wacker Presented New High-Performance Additives for Composites
At JEC World 2026, Wacker unveiled two silicone‑based impact modifiers, Genioperl W37 and W38, designed to enhance the toughness of thermosetting resins such as epoxies and vinyl esters. The additives create nanoscale elastomeric domains that improve shock resistance, especially at low...
Fairmat to Recover Carbon Composite Panels From Airbus and Work with Several Other Fields
Fairmat announced a contract with Airbus to recycle carbon‑composite panels from the A350, using its patented Infinity cold‑plasma technology that preserves mechanical performance. The process produces virgin‑quality fibers while dramatically lowering carbon emissions compared with new material production. At JEC...
I.S.T Introduces a New Class of Polyimide Composites at JEC World 2026
Industrial Summit Technology (I.S.T) unveiled Imidetex® Composites at JEC World 2026, expanding its polyimide‑based platform into a multifunctional material system. The new composites combine a negative coefficient of thermal expansion, zero outgassing, and high vibration damping, allowing engineers to achieve...
Web Industries Expands Thermoset Slitting Capacity in France and Production Capacity in Texas
Web Industries will launch a new thermoset slitting line at its Nantes facility in May 2026, expanding capacity for high‑quality aerospace tape. The same investment adds next‑generation laser‑cutting equipment to its Denton, Texas plant, boosting productivity for composites and technical...
JEC Composites Startup Booster: Discover the 2026 Winners
The JEC Composites Startup Booster 2026 announced its winners at JEC World, after receiving more than 160 applications and selecting 20 finalists to pitch. Grand Winner Soarce showcased nanofiber composites that are eight times stronger than steel, while runner‑up nebumind...
Discover the Winner of the SMC BMC Design Award 2026 “Live Better, Live Green”
The SMC BMC Design Award 2026 was unveiled at JEC World on March 11, spotlighting the theme “Live Better, Live Green.” Gold went to Hedera, a modular vertical‑garden system that converts building facades into lasting green infrastructure. Silver was awarded...
James Cropper and Hexcel Collaborate to Advance Aligned Composite Recycling
James Cropper and Hexcel have teamed up under the European Composites Circularity Alliance (ECCA) to develop the Unimat range, leveraging Cropper’s Vectis aligned‑fibre technology for recycled carbon‑fibre composites. The partnership aims to achieve the alignment and fibre‑volume fractions required for...
AOC Announces Price Increase Due to Middle East Crisis Impacts
AOC, the Swiss‑based supplier of specialty formulations, announced price increases of up to €450 (US $521.83) per tonne for its unsaturated polyester, vinyl‑ester and Neoxil® products. The hikes affect customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India and will take...
Building Collaboration in Aerospace Composites Between the UK and France
Key players from the French and UK aerospace composites sectors gathered at the British Embassy in Paris during JEC World for a networking reception organized by Composites UK and the Department for Business and Trade. Deputy Trade Commissioner Jo Hawley...
Sigmatex Signs Distribution Agreement with Link Composites at JEC World 2026
Sigmatex, a 40‑year‑old global carbon‑fibre textile maker, has signed a distribution agreement with India’s Link Composites at JEC World 2026. The deal makes Link Composites the official distributor of Sigmatex’s certified fabrics across India, covering aerospace, renewable energy, automotive, infrastructure...