Composite Materials 1: Manufacturing and Production

Composite Materials 1: Manufacturing and Production

Composite Materials 1 is a practical, technical introduction to composite materials, focused on how they are manufactured and used in real production. The course highlights what matters in practice: construction details, production-oriented design decisions, and the factors that drive manufacturability, quality, repeatability, and efficiency. You’ll learn how composites are produced, how to approach mould design for series production, and what to consider when defining requirements, selecting a mould concept, or choosing a material system from a production perspective. The course also covers common manufacturing defects, prevention and repair methods, and an overview of inspection and testing techniques used for composite components.

The Course

Composite Materials 1 focuses on the fundamentals of composite materials from a practical, technical perspective—always connected to real-world manufacturing, production, and typical applications. The course is designed for both students and professionals who want to build a solid understanding of composite materials and how they are used in actual manufacturing environments.

Across the modules, you’ll learn how composites are actually made, with a strong emphasis on production-driven thinking. Rather than diving deeply into material science, the course concentrates on construction details, design decisions that affect manufacturability, and the factors that influence quality, repeatability, and efficiency in professional production.

You’ll learn how to approach mould design for series production, which features and details can be integrated into moulds to streamline manufacturing, and what to consider when defining requirements, selecting a mould concept, or choosing a material system from a production point of view.

The course also covers the most common manufacturing defects—how to prevent them, how they are typically repaired in practice—and provides an overview of inspection and testing methods used for composite components.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a clear, well-structured foundation in composite manufacturing principles, enabling you to make informed, realistic decisions throughout design, production, and quality control.

What will you learn?

By the end of Composite Materials 1, you will be able to:

• Explain what composite materials are, where they are used, and why they are chosen in practice.
• Identify the main composite manufacturing processes and understand when each method is typically applied.
• Recognize the most common manufacturing defects, understand their root causes, and select practical prevention and repair methods.
• Understand which inspection and testing methods can be used for composite components, and what they are used to verify.
• Define clear requirements for mould ordering or in-house mould manufacturing, and evaluate mould concepts from a production perspective.
• Apply production-detail strategies that improve manufacturability, consistency, and final product quality.
• Use the knowledge from the course to propose realistic technical solutions for composite product manufacturing.