Episode 54: Mitchell Smith, ST Engineering MRAS

Mitchell Smith, ST Engineering MRAS.

In this installment of CW Talks, we revisit a topic that was discussed on a panel at last year’s Carbon Fiber conference, held in Wichita, Kansas. The discussion revolved around high-rate manufacturing for aerospace, next-generation aerospace and the growing trend around urban air mobility (UAM). We recently sat down with one of the panelists, Mitchell Smith, technology leader at ST Engineering MRAS (Baltimore, Md., U.S.), to continue the conversation.

CompositesWorld (CW): Can you talk about some of your thoughts on the trends in aerospace driving the need for more composite structures?

Mitchell Smith (MS): I’ve been doing this almost 35 years now and I think that the one thing that I would say I have more confidence in now than I ever did before is that the next-generation single aisle program coming out of Boeing, Airbus or Comac — it will be a primarily composite aerostructure.

Featured Content

Report: Composites and Carbon Fiber Use in Hydrogen Storage READ MORE

Praana, 3B and Original Composites & Fiberglass: The Next Chapter READ MORE

Troubleshooting thermoplastic composite stamp forming READ MORE

You can debate whether it’s going to be just wings, like a 777X, and still have a metal fuselage. But I think if you were to ask them — and I have — they would tell you that if the technology exists that would produce and yield a cost-effective all-composite single aisle, they would absolutely build it. The benefits to the to the end product user, the airlines, are known. It’s documented. They like those structures, not only for the weight advantages, but also for their lack of corrosion and all the other benefits you get from non-fatigue-type composites.

CW: What are some of the key challenges in transitioning from current approaches to high-rate composite production?

MS: The challenge is really just the sheer volume of components. If you look at an airplane, there are so many tiny, detailed parts inside of it — clips, brackets, stringers, frame sheer ties, stanchions. All the pieces that would normally be stampings or forgings out of aluminum. Think of all of that becoming composite (because there’s no good way to start marrying those two materials together).

So, for a widebody program, even if you’re going to do 8-10 a month, you could probably make all those pieces, right? There used to be enough in the supply chain that you can make that. Well, when you want to do 75 or 100 aircraft a month — and that’s just one of the companies — then it’s a completely different supply chain requirement for all the parts involved. Sure, they’re smaller airplanes, but there are still a ton of smaller detail pieces.

Source | Getty Images

So who can figure out the supply chain capable of manufacturing all those detailed parts? That’s what’s going to end up making it work. And cost-effectively, you have to be more cost sensitive when you’re doing a single operation.

So to me, that’s the challenge. How do you build at that kind of volume? It won’t be one technology that’s for sure. It’ll be a variety of composite technologies that come together to make it happen.

CW: As we’re seeing this push into next-generation aerospace programs, how is high-rate composites manufacturing being influenced by processes used for UAM prototypes and drones?

MS:  I think drones, hypersonics and attritable aircraft — whether they’re trying to make a very high volume of these structures or not — are great opportunities to field new manufacturing technology. They’re unmanned and there are fewer stringent certification requirements for those structures. So it’s a lower entry barrier and I think that’s the value that they can bring. If you can find the right people to work with, you can use those platforms to basically get your tech ready for the single-aisle programs coming up.

CW: What’s your take on the UAM trend within the larger scope of aerospace manufacturing?

MS: I don’t know that we’ll see 1,000 a year of them [aircraft], but it certainly is not going be zero. I think if somebody gets to 300-400 a year, that’s probably a pretty good place to be. And then who knows? It could be, once you get in the market, things change, right? People’s perceptions of travel changes.

CW: What emerging technologies or trends do you see continuing to shape the aerospace sector over the next 5-10 years?

MS: Clearly, there will be a home for stamped thermoplastic composites [TPC] for all these bits and pieces. How far you can go with it? I don’t know, but I would certainly think there would be plenty of opportunity for that. I’ll be honest, I struggle when they when they talk about building TPC fuselages and welding and things like that. There are reasons we don’t weld aircraft today and those will still exist for future airplanes. You’re still going to have to take them apart and put them back together. You still need the structure to move. It still has to have those capabilities. So, for some of those [applications], I think thermosets will have their home there.

Of course, automation is a big focus for any high-rate manufacturing. The advancements in the automated manufacturing for composites will be a key piece to being able to be successful on these programs.

CW: What advice do you have for aspiring engineers or companies that are looking to enter the aerospace market, given the current trends and challenges?

MS: One thing that COVID-19 and the great consolidation of the supply chain showed was that there were holes and opportunity for new players. Currently, most of the situation we have had meeting rate on single-aisle and widebodies is because of constraints in the supply chain. So, I think if you can come into the market and clearly demonstrate the value proposition that you bring, there will certainly be room for you.

For more information, read CW’s plant tour on ST Engineering MRAS.