Capturing composites manufacturing waste flows through process mapping

The Effect of Lean Techniques on Elimination of Waste in Composite Panel Production Using Paired t-test

“…Identification of type and source of waste holds the top requisite for planning the steps to eliminate it. According to Justyna Rybicka et al [1] there is a need of classification of waste and arranging them in a specific order. Figure 1 shows the hierarchy of wastes (by looking at this arrangement, one should be able to identify what should be done next) from prevention which is the most desirable (non-waste) scenario, through to waste disposal, which is considered the most wasteful currently known process.…”

Resource-friendly carbon fiber composites: combining production waste with virgin feedstock

“…The density of the virgin carbon fiber was taken as 1.8 g/cm 3 from the material datasheet. 19 The reclaimed fiber mat is reportedly composed of 75% carbon fiber, 11% glass fiber, 11% polyester fiber, and 3% binder.…”

“…1,2 Granted, manufacturing waste volumes are fabrication method and sector dependent, with feedstock waste ranging from 7 to 46% in R&D enterprises, and large aerospace companies estimating 30 to 50% of production materials become scrap. 3 Landfilling this high-value resource as waste is both damaging to the environment and costly. Disposing of composite waste by landfilling can cost approximately £0.20 per kg 4 and virgin carbon fiber production is estimated to be the single largest contributor to component cost 5 .…”

Raw material usage and waste recycling challenges in aircraft industry

“…Composites are recycled using thermal methods, however, the recycled materials are weaker than the original ones. This way, composite recycling possibilities are not 100% clear and still under study [9,10]. Table 1 shows that the Boeing aircrafts composite content was very low, around 1% in the 70s and 80s (Boeing 747 and Boeing 757), however, in Boeing 777 aircraft, made in the 90s, the composite content has increased to an 11% level.…”