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Sustainability / Environment
SpaCe & aeroSpaCe CompoSiTeS HaS impreSSive CUSTomer BaSe
10 txtures | number 4 | winter
The major customers for civil aviation are airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and
embraer and their direct suppliers. US companies account for 55% of the
global market in aerospace, european companies, 25%. airbus and Boeing
airworthy
and reliable
together have a market share of 80%. The fixed wing leading edge
(J-nose) and the engine inlet among other parts of the airbus a380 are
made of TenCate Cetex ® .
Various parts of the A350 will also be based on
thermoplastic materials from TenCate. The Boeing
787 Dreamliner too uses this material and TenCate
supplies the composite materials for the floor
panels and the moving horizontal and vertical parts
of the tail for the Gulfstream G650 business jet.
The Cirrus SR20 and SR22 business jets consist
entirely of thermoset composite material.
Other types of aircraft in which the material is used
include the Airbus A320 (the ‘workhorse’ of the Airbus
fleet), the A400 M, the Boeing 737, Boeing 747-8, Boeing
777 and Boeing 767; the Embraer Lineage, Phenom 100
and Phenom 300, the Gulfstream G550 and the Apache
AH64 helicopter. TenCate is currently going through a
qualification programme that is aimed at the replacement
of a metal loading ramp in helicopters with thermoplastic
composite. This will produce a weight saving
of 40%, greater strength and an increased lifespan.
TenCate’s customer base also includes the names
of aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the
defence and technology company Raytheon, Loral
(satellite systems), BAE Systems (aviation), Cobham
(aviation and defence), General Atomics (applications
in nuclear energy, aviation and defence), ATK (space
and aerospace, defence) and Astrium (space).
aircraft industry: cautious
The aircraft industry is sometimes depicted as
conservative, but ‘cautious’ is a more fitting description
– at least that is the view of Frédérique Mutel, CEO of
JEC Composites (see article on page 15). Safety and
reliability are paramount and ensuring these takes a
great deal of time. The major challenge here is to
produce more aircraft using the same quality and to
produce lighter parts for aircraft that can go faster at
lower costs, while still retaining the same quality. The
answer to all this is the automation of production
processes (by robotization and simulation) and
innovation of materials. ‘Aerospace has no choice.’
Continued on page 12