Composites Unethical?

A recent product that has hit the market is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.  There has been a lot of talk about this one of a kind airplane and the very unique way that it was designed and manufactured.  Almost the entire plane is made from composite material, compared to normal planes that use very little composites.

Credited to: http://www.copterplane.net

Composites are a fairly new material that is starting to get a lot of research and experimental use over the last few decades.  They are made by combining two or more materials together that are usually very different from one another, which creates a totally different material which has much better properties.  The goal when creating composites are to be lighter, stronger and more ductile than the materials that it is going to replace.  It is a relatively expensive process, compared to raw materials and elements that are found naturally and used in many different products, such as the metal, aluminum.

Composites definitely have a very bright future in many different area of manufacturing products.  Yes, they are more expensive than most other materials (metals, polymers and ceramics), but businesses and corporations will pay the extra dollar for the best material in order to get the best product.  Plus, using composites in products like vehicles that use gas to power them, can get much better fuel efficiency because of the low-weight of the composite.

Many people are still are little unsure about the use of composites in the real world, so people have been trying to prove to the doubters that composites are the best choice for upgrading vehicles and other products.  This leads me to the reason why some are questioning the use of composites in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Without a doubt, a successful Boeing 787 made almost entirely of composites would be huge for getting composites to be used in a wider range of application.  This is why the Dreamliner was a little rushed in the production and manufacturing stages.  The 787 has been in use now for a few years and has had minimal problems with it, except for a few batter and electrical problems.

Is it unethical to rush the use of composites into real-world products?  I say no, because of the many great benefits that it can provide for us.  Global warming has been a huge debate for the last few years, but composites can greatly help that cause by increasing fuel efficiency and greenhouse gases released by cars and airplanes.  Also, the strength of certain composites can be much higher based on its weight compared to most metals that are being used in military vehicles and equipment today.  This technology could save lives and create much better lives for us in the future, so what's holing us back?

Most people are a little uneasy, as would I, riding in a humongous plane thousands of feet in the air, that was glued together, and has almost no screws.  This, and how fast composite use has been rushed into many products such as the 787 without too much testing beforehand, are the main reasons holding the doubters back.  But to me, this is not unethical, due to the number of positives that outweigh the negatives.  All we need is a little faith; we are very close to revolutionizing the use of materials.