EDMONDS – The one word of advice – plastics – that Dustin Hoffman’s character received in the movie “The Graduate” is still very much in vogue.
Although today it would be composite materials, a sophisticated form of plastic.
That was the message during a forum on composite materials – fibers suspended in epoxy – Thursday in Edmonds. The material, which will comprise 50 percent of the Boeing Co.’s newest jet, should help save manufacturing jobs in Washington, said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who attended to forum.
“It could keep jobs in Washington state,” Cantwell said of the effort to push the Puget Sound area to the forefront in making composite products.
Cantwell noted that at a recent forum on America’s dependence on foreign oil, there were two solutions to the problem: alternative fuels and lighter weight materials.
She said that Boeing’s significant use of composite materials in the 787 Dreamliner will make that jet 30 percent more fuel efficient, a key competitive advantage.
Cantwell, who worked in Congress to find money to establish composite research and training centers at the University of Washington and at Edmonds Community College, was the keynote speaker Thursday at a composites conference in Edmonds.
Mark Tuttle of the University of Washington defined composites as the combination of two materials, such as fibers about the size of a human hair embedded in epoxy. He lauded Cantwell for helping the university become home to an advanced materials center sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Deborah Knutson, president of the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County noticed that the aviation industry is ready for explosive growth and that aerospace already accounts to 40 percent of the county’s wages. “We have to keep this going,” she said of aerospace jobs. “We need to make sure this sector and this industry stays here and stays important.”
Jack O’Harah, Edmonds Community College president, talked about EdCC’s composites program, which includes an 11,000-square-foot building and state-of-the-art equipment.
“Two years ago, you couldn’t get 10 people together to talk about composites, now we have a whole room full,” he said.
The college has a two-year degree program for composite materials and two certificate programs in composite repair and composite technician.
John Quinlivan, a retired Boeing executive now of the Future of Flight center board, said that when the 787 makes its debut next year “it will change the entire marketplace and the entire way we all travel.”
Also among the group of speakers was Rosemary Brester of Hobart Machined Products.
She said composites are now being used in a huge number of products, including jets, cars, golf clubs and snow boards.
“We build satellite components and fairings for rockets,” she said, adding her company also makes teflon-coated bushings for 747 engines.
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