FACC joins international consortium for thermoplastics research
FACC joins Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, Collins Aerospace and GKN Aerospace under the ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC).
Photo Credit: TPRC - Gijs van Ouwerkerk
FACC AG (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) has jointed forced with the international research network of the ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC, Enschede, Netherlands) in order to conduct research into furthering the development of thermoplastic composites. These materials are particularly attractive for the aerospace industry due to their light weight and full recyclability.
The other major international aerospace companies involved include Boeing (Chicago, Ill., U.S.), Spirit AeroSystems (Wichita, Kan., U.S.), Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, N.C., U.S.) and GKN Aerospace (Redditch, U.K.).
“The short manufacturing time of the components is of particular interest to us,” explains Robert Machtlinger, CEO of FACC AG. “This enables costs to be cut and energy consumption of the processes to be reduced, which confers a key competitive advantage, particularly in the dynamic field of urban air mobility [UAM]. Possible solutions range from support and control surfaces to cabin components.”
René Adam, director of research and technology at FACC adds that resilience, lower weight, processability, recyclability and cost-effectiveness — the demands placed on materials for the construction of aircraft and drones — are very high. “The materials that are currently being researched together with international partners offer enormous potential in this regard,” Adam says. “Manufacturing by means of thermoplastic fiber composites has now become one of the core elements of materials and process research in the aerospace sector.”
Related Content
-
Thermoplastic composites welding advances for more sustainable airframes
Multiple demonstrators help various welding technologies approach TRL 6 in the quest for lighter weight, lower cost.
-
Plant tour: Joby Aviation, Marina, Calif., U.S.
As the advanced air mobility market begins to take shape, market leader Joby Aviation works to industrialize composites manufacturing for its first-generation, composites-intensive, all-electric air taxi.
-
Recycling end-of-life composite parts: New methods, markets
From infrastructure solutions to consumer products, Polish recycler Anmet and Netherlands-based researchers are developing new methods for repurposing wind turbine blades and other composite parts.