Daher announces new thermoplastic composite wing rib

Thermoplastics composites specialist Daher (Nantes, France) reports that it has designed and built its first-ever thermoplastic composite commercial aircraft wing rib, which will be used in the test wing box built as part of the Composite Aircraft of the Future platform led by the French Civil Aviation Research Council (CORAC) initiative in 2018.

Daher says it has filed several patents and has the design and technical capabilities needed to build thermoplastic composite ribs, allowing it to manufacture increasingly complex parts and offer different materials and ranges that can reduce production costs. The weight and cost savings that result will allow aircraft manufacturers to improve aircraft performance and boost profitability.

"We offer trailblazing technological expertise such as the ability to make structures out of thermoplastic composites, which symbolizes Daher's R&T prowess. With this new thermoplastic composite rib, we have shown we can make parts that are 35% lighter than their metal equivalents for the same cost. Our goal is to develop alternative ranges that will allow us to make even lighter structures more cost effectively to meet the needs of aircraft manufacturers in terms of profitability and productivity," explains Dominique Bailly, R&T Director. 

The innovation will be showcased at the Paris International Airshow at the Daher booth in Hall 2a, B253.