Made of a composite material, it weighs about one-tenth of the back-breaking material that inspires it.

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The secret lies in the extremely light and stiff composite material made of boron carbide in an aluminium matrix used for the engine.

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The main ingredient is a small amount of mercury, which is placed inside a strong yet light container made of a composite material such as Kevlar.

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Stainless steel fittings would be replaced with a more hygienic composite material, ergonomic and vandal-resistant dryers would be installed, as would better lighting, hooks for bags and coats and easy-to-use locks.

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It uses the same composite-material technology to reduce weight and hence fuel consumption.

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The Swach's cartridge, a key component of the system, resembles Edison's electric bulb and is made up of a composite of rice-husk ash (a highly porous material derived out of paddy husk) and fine particles of nano-silver, which inhibits bacteria growth.

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Since the robocasting machine allows the researchers to manipulate several inks at once, they are able to make new kinds of composite materials this way interlacing the filigrees, and even leaving holes in the material if that helps to arrive at the desired properties.

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To convince wary airline executives that carbon-fiber body material was strong, Boeing sales teams carried samples and hammers, letting airline executives whack the composite with all their might.

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Excessive moisture trapped by the composite skin, for example, created condensation dubbed "rain on the plane" that Boeing countered with wicking material.

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