Engineering Technology Corporation Celebrates National Composites Week by Inspiring Utah’s Future Engineers
From Curiosity to Career: ETC welcomed Beehive Science and Technology Academy students for hands-on engineering experiences during National Composites Week 2026.
Engineering Technology Corporation celebrated National Composites Week 2026 by hosting a hands-on event for students at its Salt Lake City Center of Excellence, featuring live filament winding demonstrations, robotic automation, and engineering discussions to inspire future careers in composites, manufacturing, and engineering disciplines.
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA – Engineering Technology Corporation (ETC), a member of the Toray Group and a global expert in filament winding, tape wrapping, and other advanced manufacturing solutions for composite-part manufacturers, celebrated National Composites Week 2026 by welcoming students from Beehive Science and Technology Academy to its Center of Excellence in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 26, 2026.
The event, “From Curiosity to Career,” transformed ETC’s earlier National Composites Week commitment into a hands-on engineering experience, giving students an opportunity to move beyond the classroom and see advanced composite manufacturing in action.
There were machines in motion, composite parts to explore and plenty of questions as students moved through engineering presentations, live filament winding demonstrations, robot programming and discussions with ETC engineers. The experience connected the materials and finished composite components students could see and touch with the engineering, automation, software and people behind their manufacture.
Filament winding in action
At the heart of the program were live demonstrations on two ETC filament winding platforms, giving students an opportunity to see different machine configurations, winding patterns and composite applications.
ETC’s Standard SM 4-axis filament winding machine demonstrated the winding of a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottle – a process representative of ETC’s standard Factory Acceptance Testing for equipment supplied to customers worldwide.
The SM demonstration used T700 carbon fiber supplied from an ST2 creel. The FWC11 control system executed continuous helical transitions and hoop winding patterns, demonstrating how coordinated machine motion, programming and controlled fiber placement work together in the manufacture of a composite pressure vessel.
Students then watched ETC’s Standard SC 2-axis filament winding machine wind an approximately 1.5-inch-diameter, 30-inch-long straight shaft. Using automated, program-driven fiber placement and a helical winding pattern of approximately 85° using 12K Towpreg, the demonstration provided a contrasting example of precision fiber placement used to manufacture structural composite components.
Together, the two demonstrations gave students a practical look at the relationship between materials, machine motion, programming, and fiber placement in automated composite manufacturing.
From filament winding to robotic automation
The experience extended beyond conventional filament winding. An industrial robotic system, being used by ETC as part of a future experimental winding process initiative, demonstrated the versatility of robotic automation by writing a welcome message for the visiting students on a whiteboard.
The demonstration introduced students to robotic motion and programming in an advanced manufacturing environment while providing a memorable example of how industrial automation can be adapted to emerging applications.
Students also explored an exhibition of composite components and learned how filament winding and related composite manufacturing technologies contribute to products and structures used.
Connecting technology with engineering careers
Throughout the program, ETC engineers connected the equipment and processes students were seeing with the engineering disciplines behind them.
Students had opportunities to ask questions about mechanical design, controls, programming, automation, manufacturing and engineering careers – turning the demonstrations into conversations about not only how the technology works, but who designs, programs, builds and advances it.
The event was designed to show composites as more than materials or finished products. By bringing students directly into an engineering and manufacturing environment, ETC aimed to expose them to the broader ecosystem behind composite manufacturing – from engineering concepts and software to machine motion, automation and finished parts.
The interaction between students and ETC’s team became an important part of the experience: machines in motion generated questions, questions led to conversations, and those conversations helped connect classroom STEM concepts with real-world engineering.
As National Composites Week 2026 comes to an end, ETC hopes experiences like “From Curiosity to Career” can help strengthen the connection between the composites industry and the next generation of engineers and innovators.
From Curiosity to Career. From Career to Innovation. From Innovation to the Future!
About Engineering Technology Corporation
Engineering Technology Corporation (ETC), a member of the Toray Group, is a global provider of filament winding, tape wrapping and advanced manufacturing solutions for composite-part manufacturers. ETC provides standard and custom equipment, automation, software, retrofits and support for composite manufacturing applications across aerospace, defense, energy, transportation, industrial and other advanced manufacturing industries.
For more information about filament winding machines, tape wrapping systems, or composite manufacturing equipment, visit www.etcwinders.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Marina Miller (Brand Manager at Engineering Technology Corporation)
T: +1 (801) 486-8721; E: marina.miller.5m@etcwinders.com; W: www.etcwinders.com
