Aug. 3, 2012 (Arlington, Va.) – As records are set and broken at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, all eyes will be on the world’s elite athletes. Little thought will be given to the bicycles they ride, the javelins they throw or the arrows they shoot. But new sports equipment technology, much of it made using composites materials, will make it possible for athletes to push harder, go longer and set new records.
Equipment made using composite material is lighter, stronger and offers more rigidity. You will see some of the applications in Olympic many events including track and field, archery, gymnastics, field hockey, rowing, cycling and tennis.
Composites are typically made when glass or carbon fibers are combined with liquid resin. When the resin hardens, the new composite creates materials that have lighter weight, greater strength, more rigidity and greater power. The same composites that are helping build more fuel efficient cars, corrosion resistant storage tanks, strong and durable bridges and buildings are changing athletics for professional and amateurs.
More information about composites and the Olympics is available in Composites Manufacturing magazine at https://www.acmanet.org/CM/index.cfm.
For more information about how composites are being used in construction, automotives, aerospace and more, visit the American Composites Manufacturers Association web site at https://www.acmanet.org/, call 202-525-0511 or e-mail info@acmanet.org.
About the American Composites Manufacturing Association (ACMA)
Representing more than 3,000 companies, ACMA is the world’s largest trade group representing the composites industry, providing strong, proactive leadership in technical, government and regulatory affairs. In the U.S. alone, the composites industry employs about 550,000 people and generates almost $70 billion in revenues per year. The composites industry makes product that:
- Improve fuel efficiency in cars, trucks, RVs and trains
- Make underground tanks that don’t leak
- Turn wind into electricity
- Clean emissions in coal plants
- Transport ethanol
- Enable the disabled
- Protect our troops
- Build bridges that don’t rust
- Create a host of recreational, art and architectural products that make life more beautiful and fun
