New, weight-saving materials and manufacturing processes not only increase efficiency and reduce costs, but in particular represent milestones on the way to climate-friendly flying: in a typical ...

Complex manual steps in aircraft production – such as the assembly of newly developed, weight-reducing thermoplastic integral frames that stiffen the fuselage in the transverse direction – are to be ...

In 2016, I made a short tour in Mexico to investigate the growing composites industry there. Guided by Alfonso Cuellar, director of the composites distributor AIC International (Corona, Calif., U.S.), ...

The positioning and drilling end effector developed by Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade during the automated positioning of a cleat on the CFRP integral frame. Photo Credit: Fraunhofer IFAM Automation is one ...

In the LuFo project CREVAD (2012-2014), the Institute of Structures and Design jointly worked together with the project partners Airbus and EADS-Innovation Works. The research activities were funded ...

Demonstration of an automation-compatible thermoplastic construction method for aircraft fuselages receives award in Paris The “Multi Functional Fuselage Demonstrator” (“MFFD”), which was developed in ...

The quick curing method of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) is one of the hotspots in current research. A static in-situ curing method for CFRP prepreg based on near-infrared laser was put ...

Airbus is moving to a composite fuselage for the first time, as the manufacturer launches its new A350 long range jet; the fuselage skin will be made up of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP).