composites in the world Riding Engineers of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) are investigating the potential use of biocomposites for electric vehicles and other applications. Some of the young researchers at the AMRC Composite Centre have started looking at the potential for these materials in an area of special personal interest: snowboarding. They produced two boards from flax fibres embedded in a resin containing 30% of cashew shell epoxy. The core was made from recycled PET foam, derived from old plastic bottles and other waste. n More information: www.amrc.co.uk Quick Handmade in the USA by the Composite Art company, this genuine Swingline stapler has been converted into a carbon fibre work of art. The top portion of the stapler was skinned with a real 2x2 carbon fibre twill weave and clear coated for the ultimate shine. The company claims it is a must-have but doesn’t give any data about the achievable labour yield. n More information: www.composite-art.com The ultimate Polar England has taken the simplicity of the frisbee and transformed it into high performance material to achieve the highest precision for the CF2, “the ultimate frisbee”. For this frisbee and the corresponding boomerang, the company opted for carbon fibre not only for its looks, but also for its strength, lightness and superior performance. Both constructions also use a preformed structural foam core. The CF2 just weights 145g for a diameter of 275mm and a thickness of 1.1mm. n More information: www.polar-england.com Next issue Application Next issue Applications (n°80) Truck (n°71) - -Aircraft Market Market Feature Feature R&D Technology Technology R&D - NDT Aeronautics - Carbon fibre - Cutting tool - Cutting tools - Special - Natural fibre - Automation Feature Special Railway Nano-composites Aeronautics - - Bridge interiors - Wood regulation JEC Europe - Quality control - - Prepreg - Positionning - India JEC Europe 2012 systems 114 jec composites magazine / No79 March 2013http://www.amrc.co.uk http://www.composite-art.com http://www.polar-england.com