CW Talks: The Composites Podcast

Episode 56: Christian Fischer, Bcomp 26.05.2026 21min

In this installment of CW Talks, we explore the world of natural fiber composites and their growing role in sustainable lightweighting with Christian Fischer, CEO and co-founder of Bcomp (Fribourg, Switzerland), a company specializing in high-performance natural fiber composites for automotive, motorsports, marine, aerospace and even satellite applications. What started as a garage project focused on lightweight skis has evolved into an award-winning technology now headed into series production with BMW M. Fischer discusses Bcomp's "race-to-road" strategy, the technical hurdles of scaling natural fibers for demanding markets and where flax-based composites fit — and don't fit — in the broader composites landscape.

Episode 55: Dave Noblin, Greene Tweed 13.04.2026 10min

In this installment of CW Talks, we explore the use of thermoplastic composites for rotating equipment in variety of sectors from industrial applications to aerospace. We recently spoke with Dave Noblin, product manager for wear-resistant components for Greene Tweed, to learn about how TPCs are being used in this space.

Episode 54: Mitchell Smith, ST Engineering MRAS 03.03.2026 11min

In this installment of CW Talks, we revisit a topic that was discussed on a panel at last year's Carbon Fiber Conference, held in Wichita, Kansas. The discussion revolved around high-rate manufacturing for aerospace, next-generation aerospace and the growing trend around urban air mobility (UAM). We recently sat down with one of the panelists, Mitchell Smith, technology leader at ST Engineering MRAS (Baltimore, Md.), to continue the conversation.

Episode 53: Michael Novak, AIJ Search 21.10.2025 23min

Workforce development is a perennial challenge for the manufacturing industries. Finding skilled workers is always a concern, especially as we look to succession planning and carrying businesses forward. But today's workforce concerns are influenced by more recent trends such as increased adoption of automation solutions and the advent of AI. In this installment of CW Talks, we explore the evolving role of AI in workforce development — both in terms of challenges as well as opportunities for those looking for careers in manufacturing, particularly involving advanced materials. In this interview, Michael Novak, president of AIJ Search, a recruiting firm devoted to helping clients build teams, offers his insights into how AI is shaping the search for talented and skilled workers.

Episode 52: Chad Duty, IACMI 27.08.2025 26min

The composites community benefits from several associations and entities that work to forward advanced materials research, one of those being the Institute for Advanced Composite Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). In this special National Composites Week installment of CW Talks, CompositesWorld interviews IACMI CEO Chad Duty to discuss the myriad ways that composite materials and composites manufacturing contribute to the products and structures that shape our lives. Duty discusses the institute's 10th anniversary, its mission in the industry and rising to meet the challenges and opportunities facing the composites industry today.

Episode 51: Francesco Ierullo, Exel Composites 31.07.2025 26min

In this episode of CW Talks, CompositesWorld speaks with Francesco Ierullo, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Exel Composites (Vantaa, Finland). Ierullo started in Italy as a one-man team and now oversees Exel's engineered composites business globally. He's worked across Europe and the U.S. and played a key role in developing Exel's conductor core program. CW sat down with Ierullo to hear about the role the company's capabilities are playing in numerous applications today from renewable energy to data centers to EVs, as well as his insights into how the composites industry has grown over the past decade.

Episode 50: Markus Rufer, Scorpius Space Launch Co. 22.05.2025 35min

In this latest installment of CW Talks, the composites podcast, CW interviews Markus Rufer from Scorpius Space Launch Co. (SSLC, Torrance, Calif., U.S.) about its Type 5 carbon fiber composite pressure vessels, recently used in two lunar lander missions for Intuitive Machines (IM, Houston, Texas, U.S.), one of the providers in NASA's (Washington, D.C., U.S.) Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services (CLPS) initiative. SSLC has built 150-200 tanks over 15 years, and their cryogenic tanks enable the use of greener propellants for space missions as well as offering advancements in energy storage and medical applications. Rufer discusses the company's aims to integrate tanks into the spacecraft structure, reducing parts and weight. He also offers insights into work SSLC is pursuing with applications in medical and other industries, highlighting its cryogenic technology's versatility. Photo: Intuitive Machine's Nova-C lander is equipped with two SSLC Pressurmaxx tanks that enable its LO2/LCH4 propulsion system. (Source: Intuitive Machines)

Episode 49: Yannick Willemin, Catalysium 17.02.2025 15min

In this latest installment of CompositesWorld's CW Talks podcast, Yannick Willemin, founder of Catalysium, a new consultancy that specializes in investment trends within the composites industry, discusses the investment side of advanced manufacturing as well as industry trends shaping the composites landscape.

Episode 48: Richard Apps, Counterpoint Market Intelligence 23.09.2024 7min

CompositesWorld's Carbon Fiber Conference is just around the corner, scheduled for October 8-10 in Charleston, S.C. In this episode of CW Talks, we hear from Richard Apps of Counterpoint Marketing Intelligence as he offers a preview of what Carbon Fiber Conference attendees can expect from his Wednesday Oct 9 keynote address on the "Outlook for Carbon Fiber in Aerostructures." For more information about the Carbon Fiber Conference agenda or for registration information vist carbonfiberevent.com.

Episode 47: Celebrating National Composites Week - Interviews with Christopher Mims, Wall Street Journal; Joe Brennan, Joby Aviation 28.08.2024 30min

August 26-30, 2024 is National Composites Week. The theme of this year's NCW is "Composites Reinvent the World." In this episode of CW Talks we interview Christopher Mims, technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal and Joe Brennan, manufacturing lead – composites, Joby Aviation. Join us for this exciting discussion of how composites are reshaping the world around us particularly in the mobility/transportation sectors.

Episode 46: CAMX Celebrates 10 Years - An Interview with Cindy Squires, president/CEO, ACMA and Rebekah Stacha, CEO, SAMPE 12.08.2024 25min

CAMX, North America's largest event dedicated to composites and advanced materials, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Brought to you by American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and The Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE), CAMX 2024 takes place Sept. 9-12 in San Diego, Calif. In this episode, CW Talks caught up with Cindy Squires, the president and CEO of ACMA and Rebekah Stacha, the chief executive office of SAMPE, to talk about how CAMX has evolved over the past decade, the important trends in the industry and what's in store for attendees.

Episode 45: Scott Reeve; Corey Sechler, Creative Composites Group, Discuss Composites Use in Bridges and Infrastructure 03.05.2024 30min

Infrastructure in the U.S., particularly, the deterioration of a number of bridges in the country has been in large topic of discussion in recent years, with the bipartisan infrastructure law designating nearly $400 billion in infrastructure investments, with around $40 billion of that earmarked for bridge repair. The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland due to a shipping container accident, sparked a new round of discussion about bridge repairs. In this installment of CW Talks, CompositesWorld interviews fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites manufacturer Creative Composites Group's business development manager Scott Reeve and sales manager of waterfront solutions Corey Sechler about the company's use of composite materials in infrastructure rehabilitation projects, including bridges and waterfront structures.

Episode 44: Andy West, Sonichem 16.02.2024 15min

Sustainability has become an increasingly important topic for the composites industry, with increasing demand, especially from OEMs, for sustainable business practices. Sustainability includes many areas of focus with one important area being the use of biomaterials. In this installment of CW Talks, we interview Dr Andy West, chief chemist with Sonichem, about the company's unique process for converting biomass into lignin, as well as other biomaterials of interest for composites manufacturing.

Episode 43: Emphasizing the recycling of wind blades 29.11.2023 19min

The recycling of composite wind blades from wind turbines is a topic of much debate in the composites community and in sustainable energy discussions. In the latest episode of CW Talks, we explore a new approach aimed at the reclaim and upcycling of some of these materials when the wind blade reaches its end of life. Professor Alan Banks, innovation and industrial engagement supervisor at Ford Motor Company's Dunton Technical Center in the UK, discusses Ford's involvement with the EMPHASIZING project, a UK consortium working to develop a material from recycled glass fiber with mechanical properties superior to virgin glass, but at a price point lower than carbon fiber.

Episode 42: Jeff Sloan, CompositesWorld 27.09.2023 24min

This episode of CW Talks coincides with the 30th anniversary of the CompositesWorld brand. The first issue of High-Performance Composites, one of two magazines that would eventually merge into CW magazine, debuted in September of 1993. As part of CW's anniversary celebration, we sat down with CW publisher and brand vice president Jeff Sloan to hear about the history of the magazine, its place in the industry and some of the industry milestones of the past few decades.

Episode 41: Chase Hogoboom, T.J. Perrotti, Composite Energy Technologies Inc. 10.08.2023 26min

In the wake of the loss of the OceanGate Titan submersible, there was much discussion and speculation about the materials used to manufacture the vehicle. Many pointed to the use of carbon-fiber as a potential source of failure, yet there has been a good deal of success in the use of the material for undersea applications including pressure vessels and unmanned submersibles. In this episode of CW Talks, we sit down with two representatives from Composite Energy Technologies Inc., a Bristol, RI based company that manufactures a wide range of composite structures from racing sailboats to architectural designs to theme park ride vehicles to defense applications including deep-sea submersibles. Chase Hogoboom, president and TJ Perrotti, senior Naval architect and chief design engineer discuss their experience working with the U.S. Navy on submersible designs and the rigorous testing that goes into the use of carbon fiber for undersea applications.

Episode 40: Sarah Cox, NASA 03.01.2023 54min

In episode 40 of CW Talks: The Composites Podcast, Jeff Sloan, editor-in-chief of CompositesWorld sits down with Sarah Cox, Materials Engineer at NASA. Sarah has worked for NASA for more than 18 years and has experience applying advanced materials to space structures. Jeff talks to Sarah about her education, how she came to NASA and how she helped guide composites use there.

Episode 39: Joe Fox, FX Consulting 28.05.2021 41min

Consultant Joe Fox talks about the massive potential for composites use in infrastructure applications and what it will take to turn that potential into reality.

Episode 38: Alan Hiken, Kane Robotics 10.05.2021 28min

Alan Hiken, COO of Kane Robotics, talks about historic, current and future composites use in aircraft fuselage structures and the role of automation in next-gen manufacturing environments.

Episode 37: Ian Wilson, DASIS 15.04.2021 32min

Ian Wilson, CEO of Develop and Supply In-Sync (DASIS), talks about his history as a CNC specialist for Formula One and his introduction to composites manufacturing.