Downloads

This new section of the NetComposites portal intends to make available a number of composite related industry reports for wider distribution intro the composites community. This is part of our overall objective to develop knowledge in the composites industry, and make available information that will benefit the industry as a whole, whilst consolidating our position as the leading source for composite information.

It is our intention to continually update this section on a regular basis with new files being added when they become available. If you would like to see your composite research publications here, please contact us.

Viewing the Reports
To save the file to your desktop for viewing at a later date, right click the link and select Save Target As from the menu options. Alternatively, single left click on the link to view the newsletter within your browser.

Please note that all the files are created using Adobe PDF. Viewing and downloading the files require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, click the Get Acrobat Reader button to download the latest free version direct from the Adobe site.  Alternatively email us at info@netcomposites.com and we'll send you a copy of the required report by return.

Our intimate involvement with current news and future developments means that we are well-placed to advise on trends in markets and technologies.

We are constantly in touch with forward-thinking companies who are looking for new ways of improving or extending their businesses. In parallel with this, we are also highly knowledgeable in a very broad range of world-leading innovations in composite materials and processes, each having the potential to dramatically improve business performance.

Because we keep an eye to the future, we are aware of developments and next-generation technologies that could give you a significant competitive advantage. We are therefore well placed to give you the best possible advice on current technology and business practice, as well as guiding your strategic innovations for future competitiveness.

Our unique viewpoint in this area has been used to point the way forward for a number of private companies as well as a major involvement in the following two notable public reports: 

Industry Reports

UK Industry Study
This study of the UK polymer composites industry, undertaken from April to June 2001, shows how it interacts with a wide range of user and supply industries, how it competes internationally and how it considers its prospects for the future.

European Trends in Automotive Structures
This report gives an overview of developments and future directions in hybrid metallic, polymer and composite structures for automotive applications within a number of German and Swiss organisations that were visited.

A new, publicly-available study into the future of thermoplastic composites in Europe was published in January 2005 by the Coronet consortium – a European Commission funded network of 18 research and industrial partners spanning 9 European countries.

The aim of the study was to benchmark Europe’s current thermoplastic composites activities, forecast changes in thermoplastic composites activities and identify gaps in European research infrastructure against future requirements. There are 3 complimentary reports produced as an output of the work of this project, namely Competitive Benchmarking, Foresight Activity, and Identification of Future Research Needs.

Competitive Benchmarking
In this first report, data was obtained from a total of 225 available research projects, results and infrastructure in Europe, North America and the Rest of World, which was then analysed and summarised in tabular form by research area (materials, processing etc.) and by region. Key research and key infrastructures were then highlighted in each of the research areas and each of the regions, allowing a direct side-by-side comparison of the relative activity in each region.

 (500 kb).

Foresight
The Foresight report provides a study into the possible futures for thermoplastic composites, Europe’s activities within it, and the infrastructures that are needed to support that research.

 (444 kb).

Identification of Research Needs
The third report maps current and planned research activities against the current and future requirements to give a picture of gaps in Europe’s current research portfolio and research infrastructure. In many cases, Europe’s current research and infrastructures match the future requirements.

 (152 kb).

This series of reports was written in 2004 by NetComposites as part of their role in the Coronet network. Further information on the Coronet consortium can be found here on the NetComposites site or by visiting the Coronet website at http://www.coronet.eu.com

The aim of the COMPOSIT thematic network was to bring together researchers, designers, manufacturers and end-users of composite materials across the aerospace, automotive and rail industries. This was acheived through a series of ten workshops that were held throughout 2002-2003. Each workshop addressed a specific theme or issue relating to the use of composites in transport by providing a forum for comparison, collaboration and cross-fertilisation between the different sectors. The intention was to encourage knowledge transfer and promote best practice in the use of composites within the transport system.

As an output from each workshop, issues of common interest were highlighted and future research needs were identified and prioritised. Centres of excellence that could act as focal points to address these research needs were also identified. In this way, research "clusters" were developed for each workshop theme, thus providing a roadmap for future research direction.

Composit Thematic Network

The COMPOSIT consortium was headed by four partners, each representing one of the industrial sectors with a vested interest in the project: NewRail for the rail industry, EADS Deutschland for the aerospace industry, Centro Ricerche Fiat for the automotive industry, and SICOMP for the composites industry. Six additional members provided further specialist technical input: D’Appolonia, IKV, INEGI and the Universities of Leuven, Newcastle and Zaragoza.

Further information on the COMPOSIT thematic network can be obtained direct from COMPOSIT Thematic Network website http://www.compositn.net

The final industry reports of the COMPOSIT thematic network are now available. They are based on the collated findings of the ten COMPOSIT research meetings with one report for each of the aerospace, automotive and rail industries. The reports focus on the future research requirements of the transport sectors in order to facilitate an increased use of composite materials. Please click aerospace, automotive or rail as appropriate to download.

Composite Material Research Requirements of the:

Download Part 1: Aerospace Industry		(1730 kb)
Download Part 2: Automotive Industry		(2868 kb)
Download Part 3: Rail Industry		(752 kb)

The Final Conference of the COMPOSIT Thematic Network Held in Bristol, UK
More than 100 international delegates gathered in Bristol, UK on 29th June 2004 for the final conference of the COMPOSIT thematic network. NetComposites News reported on the conference in the 2nd July edition of newsletter. Click here to read the COMPOSIT Conference news feature.