The excitement mounts as our show preview covers the forthcoming JEC World show held in Paris. Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, JEC World continues to build on its standing as the major international meeting place for composite manufacturing-related companies.
Meanwhile, our cover story features composite component manufacturer and motorsport specialist, Prodrive Composites. Probably one of the most familiar names in motorsport, Prodrive Composites is now targeting a business stream with genuine synergy – the aerospace sector.
Elsewhere, this issue references the curves and lines of race car designs. Gearing up for composite progress, composite engineering specialist, GTR discusses the outlook for composites in automotive manufacturing and how its roots in motorsport have evolved into wider market sectors.
Clearly, everything is changing. Both automotive articles show how manufacturers are now thinking more about sustainability, lightweighting, the hydrogen economy and how composite materials are one solution to producing significantly lighter race cars that to my eyes at least, still have a certain sex appeal too.
This JEC World preview edition is also packed with cutting tools boasting the sharpest edges and material systems that laugh in the face of extreme temperatures. We look at CNC machine tool capabilities that range from new composite-based additive manufacturing technologies to 3D-printing the chassis of a concept car.
Finally, mergers and acquisitions often dominate the news. Whilst it’s important for large corporations to acquire the skillsets to enable them to compete with the production and delivery levels of more mature material supply industries, it’s also vital that the UK still has independent companies that can satisfy customer demands for supply flexibility as well.
I reckon our latest news on the progress made by the UK’s subcontracting industry is certainly something to get excited about.
