Composite materials were once one of the many material options across various industries and application fields, but that’s no longer the case today.

Compared to traditional materials such as wood, iron, steel, aluminum, and concrete, composite materials—and the composite industry itself—are relatively young. While the current era of composite manufacturing can be traced back to the late 1950s, it wasn’t until the 1990s and early 21st century that the industry truly began to mature and grow.

[Taizhou Huacheng Mould specializes in the manufacturing of molds for composite materials such as SMC, BMC, GMT, LFT-D, HP-RTM, and PCM.]

Composite materials are new, quasi-isotropic, and even "unconventional" to some engineers. However, if communicators can convince their clients to give composites a chance—especially by replacing traditional materials in existing applications, particularly when the application stands to benefit from the superior performance offered by lightweight, high-strength composites—then composites will quickly gain traction and momentum.

A great example: For decades, golf club shafts were almost entirely made of steel or aluminum. In 1969, Frank Thomas developed the first carbon-fiber golf club shaft, which gradually became the standard material choice for golfers worldwide. This innovation also sparked the adoption of carbon fiber in other sports equipment traditionally dominated by conventional materials—think tennis rackets, hockey sticks, fishing rods, and bicycles.

Even in the aerospace industry, renowned for its use of composite materials, growth has been gradual—and relies on replacing traditional materials. This has given rise to the infamous term "black aluminum," which refers to the practice of using carbon-fiber composite components (in black) as a substitute for aluminum parts.

In short, during the early days of composite material manufacturing, as any industry veteran would tell you, the sector—and its advocates—often resorted to pleading for applications rather than actively choosing them. As a result, inefficient designs, incremental growth, and sporadic progress were not only expected but also seen as an inevitable part of the industry's evolution. Through this approach, composites eventually became the material of choice for a wide range of applications.

Then, in the early 21st century, Boeing and Airbus achieved a major leap forward. Both companies decided to launch new wide-body aircraft programs—namely the 787 and the A350—which would incorporate carbon-fiber composites on an unprecedented scale into key structural components such as wings, wing boxes, fuselages, and tail sections. This represents an aluminum replacement unlike anything we’ve seen before, seemingly signaling a paradigm shift in the materials used for commercial aircraft.

Around the same period, the wind energy industry began entering the modern era, as wind turbine blade lengths rapidly increased to meet the soaring demand for greater turbine power capacity. Composite materials quickly replaced traditional materials in blade construction, enabling blades that were both stronger and lighter than ever before.

However, in other markets such as automotive, the use of composite materials still relies on incremental substitution of steel and aluminum. Aside from wind turbine blades, composites remain just one of several material options across various markets and applications.

However, all of this is changing. Over the past five years, we’ve witnessed not only the growing adoption and emergence of composite materials as a viable option—but their rise as the *only* viable choice. Moreover, I believe these applications simply couldn’t exist without composite materials.

1: Advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft are set to enter the air taxi market—this is where it all begins. OEMs serving this market are currently designing and producing fully electric aircraft, with a 100% commitment to lightweighting these planes in order to maximize their range. Composite materials are the sole material choice here for both the main structures and rotor blades.

2: Hydrogen Storage. The hydrogen economy is rapidly shifting toward a high-growth model, putting pressure on the entire supply chain—especially the demand for carbon-fiber pressure vessels used in hydrogen transportation and onboard storage. Similarly, composite materials remain the only viable option here.

3: Wind turbine blades. The use of composite materials here is nothing new, but it’s important to note that wind turbine blades are currently the world’s largest consumer of carbon fiber. As blades continue to grow longer, the demand for carbon fiber in their spar caps will only increase. Once again, composites remain the only viable option.

4: Aerospace/Space. The 787 and A350 have made composite materials the de facto material of choice for aerospace structural manufacturing. For any new aircraft project, the question now revolves around where and how to incorporate composites—rather than whether to use them at all.

In short, composite materials are gradually evolving from optional to essential.

[Taizhou Huacheng Mould Co., Ltd.]

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