Composite aerostructures in the emerging urban air mobility market
In the not too distant future, point-to-point, limited-distance, piloted and autonomous air travel for people and cargo will be the norm. Composites will make it possible.
Jeff Sloan
Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld
High-rate, automated aerospace RTM line delivers next-gen spoilers
At Spirit AeroSystem’s Prestwick facility in Scotland, a glimpse of the future of aerocomposites manufacturing in a resin transfer molding line for A320 spoilers.
ZAero project update
The 2019 final review demonstrated integration of an automated CFRP process chain: AFP inline inspection and rework, cure and resin flow sensors, part performance prediction and a decision support tool for line operators.
Narrow UD tapes to bridge the ATL-AFP gap
Automated tape laying and automated fiber placement are similar, but not the same. Can narrow tapes provide a middle ground with advantages of both processes for next-gen aircraft?
Reading tea leaves: The outlook for aerospace
The coronavirus pandemic promises to wreak havoc on the aerospace composites supply chain, but it’s not too soon to start thinking about how a post-pandemic commercial aerospace market will evolve.
Plant tour: Hexcel, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
The scale, precision, speed and quality of carbon fiber manufacture has evolved substantially since the material’s modern introduction in the late 1960s. Hexcel offers a glimpse of the state of the art today.
Strata's workforce leaders share perspectives on women in manufacturing
UAE-based aerostructures manufacturer Strata Manufacturing prides itself on providing opportunities for its multinational, female-dominant workforce.
Update: Lower wing skin, Wing of Tomorrow
Airbus is evaluating several advanced composites technologies as part of its Wing of Tomorrow program. Among these is liquid resin infusion of the lower wing skin, being developed by Spirit AeroSystems.
Jeff Sloan
Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld
9T Labs, Arkema present new manufacturing approach for small aerospace parts
The companies demonstrate cost-competitive series production of structural composite parts using carbon fiber/PEKK materials and additive manufacturing.
Airbus CEO outlines short- and long-term goals
Guillaume Faury says recovery of commercial passenger air travel is coming, and he wants to position Airbus to be ready to serve when that day arrives.
Boeing, Airbus announce Q1 2020 results
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically decreased air passenger travel, causing a dramatic decline in new aircraft orders and production. Boeing and Airbus are implementing efforts to reduce costs.
Airbus cuts commercial aircraft production by one third
Airbus will reduce production of the A320 to 40 per month, the A330 to two per month and the A350 to six per month.
Strata automates Airbus A350 inboard flap production line
With two MTorres automated tape laying (ATL) machines, the UAE-based aerostructures manufacturer plans to reduce processing times for aircraft components.
Proving out LM PAEK welding for Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator
Clean Sky 2 STUNNING project will manufacture lower thermoplastic fuselage while MECATESTERS will test Toray LM PAEK in conduction and induction welding for parameters, cyclic loading, aging and environmental effects .
Strata delivers 100 shipsets of inboard flaps for Airbus A350-900
Strata assumes fabrication and assembly duties for inboard flaps production and plans to incorporate HDF and ATL machines into the process.
Grace Nehls
Assistant Editor, CompositesWorld
Wind energy: Gale force growth ahead
Columnist Dale Brosius addresses recent accomplishments, forecasts and recycling challenges affecting the wind energy industry — and composites use within it.
Airbus A330-800 receives joint EASA and FAA Type Certification
The widebody aircraft, part of the A330neo family, incorporates composite materials, a 3D-optimized wing and other advances for 25% reduced fuel consumption.
I have seen the future and it is coming
The last 20 years were good to composites. What does the next 20 years have in store?
Compression RTM for production of future aerostructures
Automated preforming and 5-min resin infiltration show a way forward for lower-cost CFRP primary structures.
The coming decade: Clarity with a strong dose of uncertainty
Columnist Dale Brosius considers the potential and uncertain role of composites in aerospace, automotive and other markets in the coming decade.
Advancing thermoplastic composites and RTM for Clean Sky 2 in Spain
EURECAT leads projects for TPC keel beam, window frames and thermoset RTM fuselage frames with TPC shear ties for next-gen aircraft.
Composites 4.0: Digital transformation, adaptive production, new paradigms
An evolving landscape of automation, sensors and AI software is not an end, but a means to achieve the cost, quality, efficiency and agility required for future manufacturing.
Ginger Gardiner
Senior Editor, CompositesWorld
The markets: Aerospace (2020)
Despite the 737 MAX groundings, several new programs on the horizon portend increasing use of composites in commercial aerostructures for several decades.
Premium AEROTEC demonstrates hybrid CFRP-AM metal design for future lightweight aircraft structures
Successful completion of the ThermOplast Additive Manufacturing STrukturen (TOAST) project offers cost, time and weight savings via a novel, modern hybrid design.
How much is that composite wing in the window?
With Spirit AeroSystems buying Bombardier’s Belfast operations, the future of composites fabrication for large commercial aerostructures starts to come into focus.
Airbus, China reinforce aviation partnership
A new agreement between Airbus and representatives from the Chinese government ramps up A320 and A350 XWB production in China.
Composites 2020: A Multitude of Markets
The manufacturing world likes to think of composites fabrication as a single, global entity that operates to serve its customers’ needs with a variety of highly engineered parts and structures.
Modular, mobile, multiple robotics poised to change the AFP/ATL paradigm
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is working on two multi-robot automated fiber and tape placement technologies that could change the paradigm in large-part aerocomposites manufacturing.