A pipeline at an industrial petroleum plant that has benefitted from composite material repairs.
Credit: manine99 Via Freepik

While composite materials are often employed to create new products, that’s not the limit of their usefulness. Manufacturers of existing products composed of more traditional or basic materials have also found that composites can provide significant improvements when used for repairs.

If you’re looking for a way to improve upon a product that necessitates frequent repairs, consider how partnering with full service advanced composite manufacturing companies can open up unexplored avenues. You may not even realize what’s possible until you talk to someone specializing in composite manufacturing who can provide you with information on the latest products and their capabilities.

Why Use Composite Materials?

Composite materials are favoured by companies that are developing new products because they open up new possibilities. Suppose you’re looking to achieve new heights in durability or require a lightweight and robust material that is also extremely strong. In that case, you are sure to benefit from replacing the structural components on your product with composite alternatives.

Replacing Materials to Achieve New Goals

Many of the new products developed each year build on those already in existence by taking advantage of more capable materials. By adding a composite material to something already commonly used or replacing traditional materials with composite alternatives, products as diverse as sporting equipment (such as tennis racquets and golf clubs) and nautical or aerospace vehicles can all benefit from composite upgrades in a similar way.

Considering Advanced Repairs

Similarly, companies that are looking for repairs can use composite materials. This often results in a repair that is stronger or able to out-perform the original product in another way. Here are a few of the industries that are currently benefitting from repairing existing products with composite materials rather than the original parts:

The Oil and Gas Industry

One of the areas where composite repairs have been proven effective is in the oil and gas industry. Since machinery and factory components in these industries experience extreme levels of wear and tear and are often exposed to high temperatures, composite materials that provide improved solutions to these problems can offer a worthwhile investment.

Aircraft and Boats

All vehicles stand to benefit from materials that offer the combination of being exceptionally lightweight while exhibiting intense strength as well. When any parts on a vehicle need to be replaced, using a composite alternative can help that vehicle to perform more efficiently in the future.

Automated Repair Technologies
One of the main limitations of using composite materials in repairs is that the process can be time-consuming and labour intensive. To address this issue, manufacturers are currently developing innovative automation technologies to make repairs move quicker and become more cost-effective. While the newest technologies can sometimes present stumbling blocks, such as a time restraint, investing in the early stages of the game can pay off enormously in the long run.

If you’re looking for an innovative solution to repairs on a product that your company builds, consider the option of using composite materials. Learning about what’s newly available through this kind of experimental use can lead you to new possibilities for future products in your industry.