When the Titan submersible imploded during its descent to the wreck of the Titanic in June 2023, the tragedy captured the world’s attention. It raised difficult questions about engineering, innovation, and safety. Now, following the release of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s final investigation, we have a much clearer picture of what went wrong.

In light of these new findings, we’re revisiting one of our most insightful conversations on the topic with Martin McLaughlin, founder of McLaughlin Aerospace. Martin is a veteran aerospace engineer with more than 40 years of experience, including 22 years developing tactical aircraft and the B-2 bomber, and 17 years working on space transportation systems. Martin has extensive expertise in advanced composite structures and composite cryogenic propellant tanks, and has participated in accident investigations throughout his career.

In this episode, he explains how aerospace engineers validate high-risk composite structures, what warning signs OceanGate might have missed, and why rigorous engineering processes are essential when lives are on the line. 

The post Most Replayed Episode: Revisiting the Titan Submersible Disaster – Design Flaws, Composite Failure, and Aerospace Certification first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Most Replayed Episode: Revisiting the Titan Submersible Disaster – Design Flaws, Composite Failure, and Aerospace Certification appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Donald Paquet and Joe Stanish of L&L Products join the show to highlight T-Link®, a thermoplastic adhesive technology that combines the processing advantages of thermoplastics with superior adhesion.

T-Link® can be used to create lightweight, highly customizable composite structures that enhance performance through processability across a wide range of markets and potential applications.

It’s available in a range of melt viscosities, enabling a tailor-made solution in multiple forms*, including pellets, films, yarns and monofilaments, and micropellets. T-Link® yarn and monofilaments can be co-woven or sewn into textile applications to form a dry thermoplastic composite with precise control of resin content.

You can learn more about this technology and read some of their case studies at https://tlink.llproducts.com. 

The post Beyond Epoxy: Inside L&L Products’T-Link® Thermoplastic Adhesive first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Beyond Epoxy: Inside L&L Products’T-Link® Thermoplastic Adhesive appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Dan Neumann, VP of Government Affairs for the ACMA, joins the podcast to recap the ACMA Composites Fly-In in Washington, D.C.

Each year, industry leaders travel to Capitol Hill to meet directly with lawmakers and policymakers, ensuring the industry’s voice is heard on issues ranging from infrastructure and defense to manufacturing regulations and workforce development.

The post Recapping the ACMA’s Composites 2026 Fly-In: Interview with Daniel Neumann first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Recapping the ACMA’s Composites 2026 Fly-In: Interview with Daniel Neumann appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Will Tashman, Co-Founder of Uncountable, joins the podcast. Their AI-powered platform helps industries capture, structure, and connect complex formulation and experimental data throughout the full product lifecycle. 

Before launching Uncountable with his cofounders, Will was a product design engineer at Apple Inc. He’ll share how chemical and advanced materials companies are now using their software to centralize formulation data, design smarter experiments, and uncover insights hidden within years of research and testing.

You can learn more by visiting https://www.uncountable.com. 

The post The AI Platform Transforming Product Development—From Lab to Launch first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post The AI Platform Transforming Product Development—From Lab to Launch appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Kerry McCormick, CEO of PolyC Plastics and Composites, and co-founder Dr. Greg Sotzing join the podcast. PolyC Plastics and Composites is a company dedicated to developing cleaner, safer polymer technologies to replace legacy materials that contain substances such as PFAS, BPA, phthalates, and VOCs. They were recently featured in an article by Forbes magazine titled, Tackling Plastic Pollution With A Hemp-Based Alternative.

Greg is a professor of chemistry and materials science at the University of Connecticut and a leading researcher in sustainable polymer technology. He is the author of a groundbreaking study exploring hemp-derived alternatives to conventional plastics, focusing on creating high-performance materials from renewable resources.

On this episode, we’ll discuss the future of sustainable polymers, hemp-derived materials, and what these innovations could mean for the composites industry. 

The post Hemp-Based Thermoplastics: The Future of Sustainable Polymers? first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Hemp-Based Thermoplastics: The Future of Sustainable Polymers? appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Steve Starner, CEO of Continuous Composites, joins the show to discuss how their company is scaling its CF3D technology for aerospace, defense, hypersonics, UAVs, and other mission-critical applications. CF3D is a next-generation manufacturing technology that combines continuous fiber composites, automation, and software into a single digital manufacturing process.

Before joining Continuous Composites, Steve spent years working in advanced manufacturing and metal additive manufacturing, including leadership roles involving laser powder bed fusion technology at Velo3D. That experience gave him a firsthand look at how additive manufacturing technologies evolve from emerging concepts into production-ready tools for industry. 

You can learn more by visiting https://continuouscomposites.com. 

The post CF3D: The Next Generation of Composites for Mission-Critical Performance – Interview with Steve Starner of Continuous Composites first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post CF3D: The Next Generation of Composites for Mission-Critical Performance – Interview with Steve Starner of Continuous Composites appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Trevor Smith, founder and CEO of Atomic-6, joins the podcast. Atomic-6 is an advanced composite solutions manufacturer revolutionizing mobility in extreme environments. They’re creating everything from impact-resistant spacecraft shielding and deployable solar arrays to thermal management systems that help spacecraft survive in some of the harshest environments imaginable.

Atomic-6 also just launched ODC.space, the world’s first marketplace that allows customers to spec, price, and order orbital data center capacity without building their own satellite systems.

Learn more about them at https://atomic-6.com.

The post From Composite Space Armor™ to Orbital Data Centers: Interview with Trevor Smith, founder of Atomic-6 first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post From Composite Space Armor™ to Orbital Data Centers: Interview with Trevor Smith, founder of Atomic-6 appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Mandy Clement of James Cropper and David Tilbrook of Hexcel join the show to discuss how their companies are working together through the ECCA, to advance the development of high-value composite materials made from recycled carbon fibre that support both performance and circularity across aerospace, automotive, and mobility sectors.

The European Circular Composites Alliance (ECCA), led by the European Composites Industry Association (EUCIA), brings together material suppliers, manufacturers, recyclers, and end users to tackle the challenges that have historically limited composite recycling. A key focus of the initiative is advancing the use of recovered and recycled carbon fiber in aerospace and defense applications, where maintaining material performance and maximizing fiber value are essential to achieving circularity at scale.

You can learn more by visiting https://advancedmaterials.jamescropper.com/journal/james-cropper-and-hexcel-collaborate-through-ecca-to-advance-aligned-composite-recycling-solutions/. 

The post Advancing Circular Composites: How James Cropper and Hexcel Are Driving Recycling Innovation Through the ECCA first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Advancing Circular Composites: How James Cropper and Hexcel Are Driving Recycling Innovation Through the ECCA appeared first on Composites Weekly.

On this episode, Scott Lewit and Joni Richards of Structural Composites, Inc., join the show to discuss one of their latest projects, which includes a $9 million contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Canaveral Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Sector Gate Project at Port Canaveral. It represents a significant milestone in the adoption of advanced composite materials for critical marine infrastructure. 

Founded in 1987, SCI specializes in engineering, testing, prototyping, and manufacturing advanced composite structures. They’ve spent decades advancing composites across defense, marine, transportation, and industrial markets.
You can learn more about SCI by visiting https://structuralcomposites.com.

The post Inside the $9 Million FRP Sector Gate Project: Interview with Scott Lewit and Joni Richards of Structural Composites first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Inside the $9 Million FRP Sector Gate Project: Interview with Scott Lewit and Joni Richards of Structural Composites appeared first on Composites Weekly.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is sending shockwaves through global supply chains—particularly across petrochemicals, resins, and composite materials.

With nearly 20% of the world’s oil and a significant share of polyethylene, polypropylene, and key chemical feedstocks moving through this critical chokepoint, disruptions are already driving price volatility, supply shortages, and shifting sourcing strategies.

On this episode, I have two guests joining me to discuss the impact on supply chains: 

Dawn Hersey, Ph.D., is a combat veteran and subject matter expert in resilience, stability, and conflict. She owns Ferndon Consulting, an Intelligence firm. Her expertise is in international conflict, geopolitical dynamics, and predictive analytics.

David Eyes is an automotive supply chain expert with 25 years of experience, working closely with complex manufacturers and auto suppliers on supply chain risk. David is VP of Automotive at TrueCommerce.

The post The Strait of Hormuz Conflict and the Future of Global Supply Chains first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post The Strait of Hormuz Conflict and the Future of Global Supply Chains appeared first on Composites Weekly.

Joining the podcast this week is Bruce King, an engineer, author, filmmaker, and one of the leading voices in sustainable and bio-based building materials. He is the author of the book Build Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture. 

Bruce spent more than 45 years in structural engineering, working on everything from high-rise buildings to resort projects, before shifting his focus toward a bigger question: how do we build in a way that works with nature instead of against it?

Today, Bruce’s work spans everything from straw composites and low-carbon concrete to emerging bio-materials like mycelium, bacterial cellulose, and algae-based construction systems.  You can find some of his videos at https://buildwell.site.

The post Beyond Concrete: Bio-Composites, Algae-Based Cement, and New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture first appeared on Composites Weekly.

The post Beyond Concrete: Bio-Composites, Algae-Based Cement, and New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture appeared first on Composites Weekly.