64 October 2013 www.aeromag.com www.aero-mag.com CIVIL & DEFENCE/SPACE/SUPPLY CHAIN JEC WORLD PREVIEW Page 8 THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE FOR A GLOBAL INDUSTRY FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
A composites show of strength Editor | Mike Richardson | newsdesk@aero-mag.com | Tel: +44 (0) 1634 825709 Deputy Editor | Ed Hill | ehill@mitpublishing.co.uk | Tel: +44 (0) 1634 825705 Digital content coordinator | Michael Tyrrell | mtyrrell@mitpublishing.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1634 825713 Sales Manager | David McCauley dmc@aero-mag.com | Tel: +44 (0)7557 308369 Sales Director | Andy Morley amorley@aero-mag.com | Tel: +44 (0) 1634 825701 Art Editor | Sarah Blake sarahblake@sablemedia.co.uk | Tel: +44 (0) 1233 770781 Production Coordinator| Ewa Hodden ehodden@mitpublishing.co.uk | Tel: +44 (0) 1634 825703 Circulation, Subscriptions and Database Research | Perception SAS aero@mitpublishing.com | Tel: +44 (0) 1825 701520 Financial Controller | Valerie Prentice | accounts@mitpublishing.co.uk Publisher | Liam McCauley Director | David Rose Published by | MIT Publishing Limited | Featherstone House | 375 High Street | Rochester | Kent ME1 1DA | United Kingdom | Tel: +44 (0) 1634 830566 Published 8 times a year, Aerospace Manufacturing is distributed free of charge to applicants in the UK and certain other countries who meet the publishers criteria. Subscriptions are also available at £150 per annum which represents a 40% saving on the single issue price. While every care is taken to provide accurate information, the publishers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions, no matter how they may arise. Authors opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without the consent of the publisher. Copyright: MIT Publishing Ltd 2024 Printed by: Pureprint Group 4 NEWS EVENTS 8 JEC: Fuelled by passion – JEC World preview & roundup AIRCRAFT PROGRAMMES 14 Start-up pilots greener flying with grant – Electric aircraft 16 A new chapter in civil aviation – Electric aircraft TECHNOLOGY FEATURE 18 At the leading edge of wing testing – Wings ADVANCED MATERIALS 20 Building a new wooden wonder – Composites 22 Focused on innovation – Composites MACHINING TECHNIQUES 24 New dimensions in aluminium machining – Cutting tools 28 Composite test sample dream machine – Machine tools 30 A new addition to the family! – Machine tools 32 Additive technology makes its mark – Additive manufacturing SPECIAL REPORT 34 An enabled future for hydrogen – Hydrogen propulsion 36 A coat of many colours – Surface treatment SUPPLY CHAIN 39 Making things possible – Partnerships FINAL APPROACH 42 Dedication, learning, progress – GKN Aerospace’s integrated composite structures technology director, Craig Carr Next issue: MACH 2024, Space, Technology feature: Landing gear, Materials: Test & measurement, Machining techniques: Patterns & moulds, Special report: Quality & inspection, Supply chain: Standards, Digital manufacturing: Simulation & visualisation, Final approach Hello and welcome to the February/March issue of Aerospace Manufacturing magazine. It’s show-time again folks as the latest edition of the popular Paris-based JEC World composites show gets ready to roll. Increasingly more aerospace companies want to become part of the global composites supply chain, and why not? Hardly a JEC event passes by without a productionised lightweight composite innovation replacing its heavier metallic counterpart. JEC World continues to demonstrate that composites in the aerospace manufacturing industry is a hotbed for continually evolving innovative designs, and full of creative people thinking not only of the here and now, but of the aircra of tomorrow. Look around JEC’s halls and at its very heart you’ll nd a band of committed companies attending and exhibiting for the sole purpose of meeting up, forming partnerships and doing business. Also in this issue, Cran eld University’s head of composites, Krzysztof Koziol discusses ENABLEH2 and how the project will revitalise liquid hydrogen research for civil aviation. Elsewhere, Ian Parker looks at the work the People’s Mosquito project is doing in building a new De Havilland Mosquito which is set to y as early as 2027. Continuing the same theme, the Midlands Aerospace Alliance’s Peter Knight describes how the Aerospace UP programme grant has helped CNR Services realise a long-held dream to improve composite test sample manufacture. Completing the composites quartet is ‘metal to plastic’ conversion specialists, Denroy. The company discusses its work on the high-performance thermoplastics Structural OverMoulding for the Aerospace (SOMA) industry project - a technique that combines short and long carbon bre reinforced composites to provide e cient, integrated, structures that take advantage of the complementary strengths of both material types. Next up is our April MACH 2024 show preview edition. Until then, stay safe and keep the manufacturing ag ying! Mike Richardson, editor ISSN 2056 3434 www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 3 COMMENT & CONTENTS Volume 19 Issue 173
4 October 2013 www.aeromag.com Xxxxxxxx 2014 www.aeromag.com NEWS The North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) and Composites UK will come together and host a joint pavilion stand at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) 2024. FIA is a biennial, week-long event demonstrating innovations and developments in civilian and military aircra . The 150m2 collaborative stand will house 28 companies from within each organisation’s respective members. Nichola Burton, operations manager NWAA, expressed her excitement, stating: “We are delighted to be returning to Farnborough for the rst time since 2018, and 2024 sees NWAA celebrating its 30-year anniversary. In a strategic move, we are thrilled to join forces with Composites UK, setting up a pavilion stand that not only ampli es our presence but also fosters collaboration within the industry.” Diane Alexander, exhibition manager at Composites UK said: “Our members asked for a gateway into FIA - it’s a large show, and for many member companies the resource required to exhibit on a stand independently is huge - both from a nancial and organisation perspective. Collaborating with NWAA on a joint stand makes perfect sense and enables us to give members from both associations a larger presence.” www.compositesuk.co.uk NWAA and Composites UK to host FIA pavilion Wallwork Group is expanding its representation in Scotland by appointing Ashleigh Thomson to lead the company’s Scottish business development. She joins the company as it continues to make signi cant investments across its UK sites. This includes establishing a new £20 million hot isostatic pressing centre. The company’s range of heat treatment services are Thomson’s initial focus. “Over my career, I have gained extensive knowledge of nickel and hard chrome plating, electroless nickel plating, QPQ, harden and temper, case hardening, stress relieve, and turide,” stated Thomson. “I look forward to bringing my sales development skills to Wallwork. The company has a fantastic customer service ethic.” www.wallworkht.co.uk Wallwork makes Scottish business appointment February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com x Collins Aerospace announces £16m R&D investment RTX business, Collins Aerospace has invested over £16 million in an ambitious R&D project at its Kilkeel site that is helping develop highly innovative passenger seating products for wide body and twin aisle aircra . The announcement was made by Joe Kennedy III, the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Aairs, who visited the company’s Kilkeel premises whilst leading a senior US business delegation to Northern Ireland last year. Kennedy said: “Over the last 50 years in the global aviation seating market, RTX, through its Collins Aerospace business in Kilkeel, has contributed to Northern Ireland’s thriving aerospace sector. It was a pleasure to visit the company and see rst-hand its research and innovation. This new investment will see it design and manufacture its new line of passenger seats which will help further its export growth ambitions. “Following a US business delegation visit and having spoken with many top US executives, I am convinced that there is a real eagerness to explore what Northern Ireland has to oer. Companies like Collins Aerospace, that have a long history in Northern Ireland, are a testament to the bene ts of investing here.” The investment has been supported by Invest Northern Ireland, which has worked with the company over many years providing a wide range of nancial and advisory support. www.investni.com Left to right: Mel Chittock, Invest NI’s Interim CEO; Joe Kennedy III, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs; Alan Henning, Managing Director of Operations for Collins Aerospace’s Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.
6 October 2013 www.aeromag.com February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com NEWS Donite Plastics, in partnership with Northern Ireland Technology Centre (NITC) at Queen’s University, Belfast, has concluded an innovative project that will see the introduction of smart technology into the aircra interiors assembly process and the creation of up to eight jobs later this year at the Saint eld-based company. Donite Plastics has been supporting customers in the aerospace sector for several years and through this project, awarded by NATEP, which is co-funded by Innovate UK and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), has developed a robotic automated assembly cell for advanced Thermoformed Twin Skin Panels (TTSP) for aircra seating systems. “With an investment of £500k, which included automated thermoforming and CNC trimming equipment, this R&D project will help us to develop these capabilities going forward and meet the everchanging requirements of our customers,” stated at Donite Plastics’ engineering and research and development manager, Patrick Knight. “Later this year, we will also be commencing a recruitment drive to accommodate the additional workload to the company as a result of the project.” The new technology developed by Donite Plastics throughout the project will be utilised by one of the company’s largest customers, Thompson Aero Seating. Aaron Robinson, head of design at the company said: “This was an excellent project, which has proved benecial to Thompson Aero Seating. Seeing the development of the new technology and the end result, has been very rewarding.” www.donite.com GKN Aerospace has boosted its commitment to sustainable manufacturing, with a £50 million investment in its cutting-edge additive fabrication technology in Trollhättan, Sweden. The Swedish Energy Agency’s Industriklivet initiative will fund £12m of this investment, which will help to revolutionise production methods by reducing raw material usage by up to 80%. The technology will be embedded at GKN Aerospace’s Trollhättan facility in Sweden, and will be operational later in 2024. By employing additive technology, which involves layer-by-layer construction using metal wire or powder fused together with lasers, GKN Aerospace is able to minimise raw material waste, energy use and shipping within production. This signicantly cuts emissions, costs and lead-time. GKN Aerospace has been at the forefront of additive fabrication for almost two decades, and has signicant research and technology centres in Sweden, the UK and the US. Thanks to the backing from Industriklivet, the new additive production centre in Sweden is projected to create around 150 new job opportunities for operators, technicians, and engineers at the Trollhättan facility. Joakim Andersson, president of GKN Aerospace’s Engines business, said: “Our development of additive fabrication for large, complex and load-bearing aircra components is a great example of this and it marks a signicant breakthrough for the industry. The benets we see from this technology are truly game-changing. Government support has been pivotal in enabling us to push our capabilities forward and I am delighted to establish this unique technology in our world-leading facility in Trollhättan Sweden.” www.gknaerospace.com GKN invests £50m in additive capability Donite delivers on innovative aerospace project Partners sign Indian supply chain MoU PTC Industries and Nasmyth have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration to leverage the two companies’ capabilities for o ering global solutions to aerospace and defence customers in India and globally. The MOU will see Nasmyth and PTC work together in support of the ‘Make in India’ Atamnirbhar Bharat programme leveraging each other’s capabilities. This cooperation will help PTC expand its capabilities to better support Indian customer requirements and successfully execute those projects. The partnership will focus on developing casting, machining, assembly, and thermal precision engineering capabilities in India. The collaboration will help to increase capacity in the market, signal a move towards vertically integrated supply chain solutions in India and also provide global solutions to OEMs looking for suppliers to de-risk their current supply chains while providing capacity growth opportunities. www.nasmyth.com
www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 7 Space-Comm Expo launches into Exosphere The place for space to do business, SpaceComm Expo, taking place 6 7 March 2024 at Farnborough International, brings together decision-makers across the supply chain to further the commercial space sector with future-altering partnerships and hear from experts on the immediate opportunities and challenges facing the industry. 2024 space trends will be discussed, including the shi into sustainable rocket fuels, generative AI transforming space tech, an increase in small satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit, and new opportunities to share data, research and communications, such as earth observation. Space-Comm Expo is the premier opportunity for businesses of all sizes to showcase their latest innovations, share future-altering thought leadership, build new partnerships and announce new projects and investment. The two-day event brings together business, government, defence, space agencies and aerospace experts from the entire space community including manufacturers, space agencies, International Space Command, Government ocials, engineers, satellite operators, technicians, systems integrators, and buyers and procurement professionals. International-renowned organisations, manufacturers and innovators, including Airbus, BAE Systems, Cornwall Space Cluster, Catapult Satellite Applications, MDA, Moog, Pulsar Fusion, Rolls-Royce and Viasat, will feature on the show oor. Space-Comm Expo has announced the rst wave of its keynote speakers, including space scientist and astronaut in training Professor Suzie Imber and the who’s who of industry CEOs, CTOs and founders from the likes of NATO, Space Florida, and Thales Alenia Space. Across three theatres, including a new stage dedicated to specialised defence and security, the conference programme will highlight the growth areas, barriers, latest innovations and grey areas of the global space industry. Organised by Hub Exhibitions in partnership with Farnborough International, Space-Comm Expo 2024 is set to welcome thousands of space professionals, organisations, agencies and government ocials across the two-days. Commenting on the success and continued growth of the expo, Rob Sherwood, managing director of Hub Exhibitions, said: “As the industry continues to accelerate, the show has seen exponential growth over the last three years, proving the appetite, interest and value of the UK space sector and Space-Comm’s pivotal role in the global market as a place where business is done. “We are proud to work with our valued industry partners, such as Farnborough International, ADS Group, UKSpace, UKSpace Agency, KTN and ESA and I’d like to extend thanks to our exhibitors, partners and attendees for their continued support. I look forward to welcoming the industry back to Farnborough in March 2024.” As well as providing thought leadership across the Keynote stage, features including the Start-Up Zone and Meet The Buyer will enable start-ups, SMEs and industry-leaders to network with investors, regulators and academics to collaborate and discuss actionable change for the future of the space industry. www.space-comm.co.uk Bodycote has announced its acquisition of Lake City Heat Treating, which was successfully completed on January 19, 2024. Lake City Heat Treating, based in Warsaw, Indiana, is a leading civil aerospace and medical market provider of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and vacuum heat treatment services. Stephen Harris, group chief executive of Bodycote, commented: “Completion of the acquisition of Lake City Heat Treating is an exciting further step in our strategy to grow our Specialist Technologies businesses and footprint. This acquisition is an excellent t, and it allows us to better address the growth opportunities in the medical and aerospace markets. We welcome the customers and employees of Lake City Heat Treating to the Bodycote Group.” www.bodycote.com Bodycote acquires Lake City heat treating
8 October 2013 www.aeromag.com EVENT PREVIEW: JEC WORLD February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com eading players from the four corners of the world are getting ready to reunite at JEC World. The international tradeshow dedicated to composite materials, their manufacturing technologies and application markets, is all set to take place in Paris, the capital of composites from March 5 7, 2024. The event will welcome the entire community in a spirit of innovation, business and networking. How do you expect the show to grow this year and what are your targets for the 2024 event? The show is growing in the numbers of exhibitors, and also in square metres, which means that our attendees will be able to connect with new exhibitors, discover new products and explore new markets. We have seen signi cant growth from all sectors of the value chain and from all the geographic areas. In terms of attendance, our aim is to exceed the one of JEC World 2019, which was our best year ever! In terms of visitor, exhibitor targets and countries represented, what are you hoping to achieve at this year’s show? The main goal, each year is to get the whole composites community together: all countries, all sectors, all parts of the value chain. It is a challenge, but it is also the best way to build the future of our industry. In 2024 we are expecting more exhibitors (1,300), including new international pavilions, and more visitors (43,500) ocialising the arrival of new countries: Egypt, Georgia, Serbia, or strengthening the presence of traditional participating countries such as Germany, Belgium, Spain, US and France. Does this year’s event have a particular theme? As in 2023, sustainability leads the way. It is what triggers nearly all the innovation and projects in the industry today. We want JEC World’s programme to dig deeper, highlight all these initiatives and inspire new audiences. What are you anticipating from UKbased companies attending and can they still build strong partnerships with international companies? The UK is still one of the most important countries at JEC World in terms of exhibitors. This proves how much companies are determined to build business connections internationally. Among them: Cygnet, GKN, Hypetex, Scott Bader, Sigmatex or B&M Longworth, recently selected as nalist of the JEC Innovation Awards. The UK Pavilion, organised by Composites UK, will also be a thriving business hub. In a Q&A session, JEC World’s organisers JEC Composites reveal what visitors can expect to see at this year’s show, held from 57 March 2024 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. L JEC: FUELLED BY JEC World returns to Paris from March 57, 2024 (below) Passion
CMS ADV Aerospace Manufacturing_146X210 +3 mm.indd 1 24/01/24 10:04 AUTOMATED DISPENSING SYSTEMS ▪ For semi-automatic and fully automated production lines ▪ For 1- and 2-component adhesives, potting compounds and sealants – regardless of viscosity ▪ Perfectly suitable for abrasive, compressible or solid containing materials Solutions for emptying, treating and dispensing of difficult to handle fluids and pastes – in several aerospace dispensing applications. JEC World 2024 05.03. – 07.03.2024 Paris-Nord Villepinte, France Hall 5, Booth P124 www.viscotec.com Illustrated application: Interfay Sealing
www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 11 EVENT PREVIEW: JEC WORLD Scan here for more JEC articles Industry 4.0 is increasingly being talked up. What is your take on this philosophy and will there be much evidence of it at the show? Data, smart manufacturing, automation and digitalisation are now key drivers in the industry. The need to produce faster, with constant quality, and optimising resources can address both pro tability goals and aspirations to produce in a more sustainable manner. A speci c session on Thursday will focus on this and enlighten delegates on how these topics can also contribute to more sustainable manufacturing. How will the aerospace sector be represented at the event, conference programme and Innovation Planet? Aerospace will be the main topic of one of three end-user applications conferences – a format that had been greatly appreciated by JEC World’s participants in 2023. The theme: ‘Beyond Boundaries: Composite Materials Shaping the Aerospace Industry’ on March 6th at 2:00 pm. It will cover the challenges faced in the adoption of composite materials in the sector, such as certi cation processes, manufacturing scalability, and cost considerations, as well as the initiatives developed to reach sustainability goals. What composites manufacturing projects and programmes excite you the most at present? One of the most important evolutions for me comes from recycling and the opportunities oered by second generation materials (i.e. recycled materials that are made available to produce new parts). These second generation materials are driving the costs of composites lower and enabling composites materials to be competitive in programmes and projects where they might have not been before. This will open new doors for companies from the industry and will support the adoption of composites worldwide. In terms of additive manufacturing, what kind of representation do you expect to see from the likes of key players like Thermwood and CMS this year? The Live Demonstration Area will be the place to be to witness live machines and processes demonstrations. A ‘ rst’ at JEC World. Four companies: MVP, Aerovac Composites One, Thermwood and Roctool will be presenting processes during up to twenty 30-minutes sessions over the three days of the show. It will include resin transfer moulding injection, heating and cooling technologies, large scale additive manufacturing and vacuum moulding. This, of course, will be on top of the hundreds of demonstrations that always take place at the show on exhibitors’ booths. In 2023, our team was able to witness a few of these ‘daily demonstrations’, we are expecting the same buzz in 2024. Who is the ‘country on stage’ this year? There will be three of them: Belgium, Italy and France. It is exciting news because these three countries are very dynamic and have a lot to share about their local composites industry. There will be one Country on Stage session each day, at 10.00am. And what can visitors expect from the forum and conference programmes - what are the chosen topics this time around? As mentioned, sustainability is a main topic – therefore four dedicated conferences will take place, covering: Recyclability, Lightweight, Biobased materials, and Sustainability through digitalisation. Three end-user applications will be discussed over round tables: Aerospace, Wind Energy and Ground Transportation. Finally, a conference that will be more than tting at this time of the year: Women in Composites, which, each year, highlights the active involvement of women in the composites industry and how they are contributing to the development and growth of the advanced materials markets. Finally, what is the importance of JEC World for the sector and what are its main aims? The composites industry is fuelled by the passion and enthusiasm of its stakeholders. There are new ideas, new solutions, new markets developing every day in every application sectors. JEC World provides a global platform for professionals, researchers, and industry leaders to network, share ideas, and foster collaboration, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and promoting partnerships within the composites industry. The event plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of composite materials and driving the adoption of composites across all end users industries. www.jec-world.events JEC World 2024 is expected to be the biggest event ever (above) The whole value chain will gather in Paris for a festival of composites (below)
12 October 2013 www.aeromag.com February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com EVENTS: JEC WORLD EXHIBITOR ROUNDUP e begin our exhibitor round-up with Anaglyph (hall 6, stand D86). The company will demonstrate PlyMatch, the latest version of its hand-layup ply placement technology at the event. PlyMatch uses augmented reality to show the live combined images of actual and target ply outlines and fibre orientation details on a monitor, so that the two can be matched by the operator. PlyMatch is particularly useful in the case of complex geometries, with high curvature or enclosed spaces. PlyMatch is used by manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, bicycle and transport sectors at this stage. Elsewhere, Composites UK (hall 6, stands S62/T62) is once again organising the UK Pavilion for the third time in as many years. The UK Pavilion will comprise two adjacent stands and house over 20 companies. Among those exhibiting are DK Holdings, the National Composites Centre, Advanced Engineering Show, C&J Antich, CiMCOMP, CNC Robotics, Dolphitech, Hive Composites, Hypetex, Leading Edge Strategy Consulting, Loop Technology, Plyable, Slack and Parr and TWI. As mentioned, Composites UK member, DK Holdings, a manufacturer of precision diamond tooling will be exhibiting on the UK pavilion stand. “We are excited to be back at JEC World in 2024,” states company sales & marketing manager, John Emptage. “Face to face networking with our global partners in the composites industry is vital as it enables us to understand their requirements and develop diamond tooling solutions to optimise production processes as well as assisting with new projects. “You’ll nd us at Composites UK’s Pavilion for the rst time since becoming members earlier this year which we are very much looking forward to. Attending as part of the UK trade community for the composite sector enables us to work with our fellow members exhibiting and share what innovative projects we have in the pipeline for our 65th anniversary year. Come and meet the team – we are looking forward to seeing everyone there.” Moving on, Loop Technology (hall 6, stand S62) says it is looking forward to exhibiting at JEC World. As an industrial automation and robotics specialist, the company provides systems that radically accelerate the production of composite structures. FibreLINE is Loop Technology’s high rate preform system that can be congured to suit specic customer requirements. At its centre is FibreFORM, a new generation of end eector that is said to be world-leading because of its capacity to eectively JEC World attracts top composites exhibitors from around the world. Aerospace Manufacturing previews some of the companies showcasing their latest products and innovations during the show. W TOGETHER IN THE SPIR IT OF JEC World attracts top composites exhibitors from around the world (above) Scan here for more JEC articles
www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 13 pick, shape and deposit composite plies at groundbreaking speed. Where traditional methods, such as automated bre placement typically operate at 20kg per hour, FibreFORM deposits material at up to 200kg per hour. Plataine (hall 5, stand P74) will present the latest advancements in its scheduling solution for advanced manufacturing. Plataine’s Production Scheduler uses AI-based algorithms to automatically create and optimise plans to maximise the use of the factory oor resources and ensure ontime delivery. Upon any change on the factory oor, the algorithm re-adjusts the tasks. The result is 100% visibility and 15% work orders execution increase. Stop by Plataine’s stand to see how the Scheduler Application works and play the company’s trivia game to win some cool prizes. Next up is Thermwood, who will be LIVE printing an autoclavecapable tool for composite layup of an aircra engine air inlet duct on an LSAM Additive Printer 510 in the LIVE Demo Area located in hall 6 at the show. The company will print a new tool each day with material from a dierent material supplier. In addition to LIVE printing throughout the day, Thermwood will also present an interactive demonstration once per day that will allow participants to see a real-world application of creating high-temp tooling with an LSAM system. This live demonstration will help bridge the gap between theory and practical application and help understand the full potential of LSAM and how it can help enhance productivity and innovation. Thermwood will also have its regular booth staed by its sales team in hall 6, stand P52. The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) brings together public, private, community, industry and education partners to assure growth and sustainability of Utah’s advanced material and manufacturing industry. Located in hall 6, stand Q62, the mission of UAMMI is to ensure that Utah is the global leader in value-added advanced materials, manufacturing, technology development, and design by integrating industry, academic and government contributors in ways that enhance collaboration, promote business opportunities, share knowledge resulting from relevant research and engage a skilled and trained workforce. Finally, Zünd (hall 5, stand S57) will be on hand as a leading provider of complete solutions for digital www.SL-LASER.com INNOVATIVE LASER TECHNOLOGY FOR ALIGNMENT AND POSITIONING Visit us at: Hall 6 I Stand 6B97 contact@sl-laser.com Dieselstr. 2 I D-83301 Traunreut I Phone +49 8669 8638-11 MADE IN GERMANY cutting in the composites industry. Visitors will have the opportunity to get a close-up view of how data management, cutting and assembly can be intelligently digitalised, automated and streamlined. Digital production cells oer particularly large cost reductions in materials and personnel. Zünd uses two practical examples to demonstrate how such digital production workows for cutting composites can be structured. One production line illustrates how easy it is to integrate a robot and all of its functions and thereby fully automate the removal and sorting of parts. The robot arm is controlled by the ZCC Zünd Cut Centre operating soware via the Pick&Place Interface. Thanks to central control via the ZCC, cuts of any shape can be removed and individually sorted in a exible manner by the Zünd G3 Cutter. If the cut parts are removed by hand, the operator can mark each part with labels with printed barcodes and job information, with visual support provided via a projector. The required parameters are derived from the job metadata. On a second production line, the focus is on maximum material utilisation while cutting bre-reinforced composite materials. This is made possible by a fully digital workow. The Zünd PreCut Centre – ZPC soware plays a key role in the process. In particular, the ability to integrate selected metadata in the output le and transfer it to the nished cut parts via inkjet printers and label printers enables e¡cient and awless kitting as well as end-to-end traceability. www.jec-world.events The global composites community is all set to gather at JEC World (above)
14 October 2013 www.aeromag.com February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com AIRCRAFT PROGRAMMES: ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT ward-winning startup Flux Aviation is building ‘the future of aviation’ through its development of ultra high-performance electric motors and batteries to power nextgeneration electric aircra . Run by senior engineers with experience covering multiple sectors from aerospace to product design, to electric vehicles, the business is underpinned by two fundamental principles: a passion for ying and a vision of electric ight for everyone. Launched in August 2021, the aerospace start-up is the brainchild of thirty-something entrepreneurs Neofytos Dimitriou and Radovan Gallo who met whilst studying engineering at Southampton University. Following a recent round of investment, the business is now expanding aer moving into a new unit at Space Business Centre Warwick. Already on an upwards trajectory, Flux was recently named Midlands’ Innovative Startup of the Year at the 2023 StartUp Awards. As joint recipient of a £10,000 Under 30s grant from Get It Made, a Londonbased manufacturing specialist, the funding means the business will continue to work towards its mission of a future in which ying is clean, quiet, and accessible for all. What is fundamentally clear is that Flux Aviation has grand designs on electrifying the general aviation sector, with a 75kW battery electric powertrain system designed as a drop-in replacement for existing combustion engines. Notoriously loud, dirty and extremely expensive to run and maintain, even with technological improvements, combustion engines are not going to be a long-term solution for general aviation powertrains. As the industry faces mounting pressure to reach sustainability targets amid rising operating costs, Flux’s solution is a sustainable and economical alternative. “From two-seat trainer aircra and up to 50-seat regional airliners, we are helping aircra manufacturers decarbonise their passenger and cargo eets. Compatibility with a range of existing aircra types will allow us to supply the existing market without having to design a completely new airframe,” states Flux Aviation’s cofounder, Radovan Gallo. “We are starting by electrifying the training aircra market. These are typically two-seat and four-seat light aircra used in aeroclubs and ight schools to train new pilots. This is our beachhead market to prove the technology and build relationships with the relevant regulators.” Bene ts on many levels Electrication is a game-changer with benets on many levels. Firstly, greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use and the need for leaded aviation fuel will be eliminated, improving air, soil and groundwater quality around airelds. Thanks to quiet electric motors, noise emissions will be cut, reducing noise complaints associated with aireld Flux Aviation’s transition towards prototype testing has accelerated - thanks to a grant from Get It Made. It means the business is on track to reach its ultimate ambition: to decarbonise all regional and domestic ights. A START UP PILOTS GREENER FLYING WITH Flux Aviation’s co-founders, Neofytos Dimitriou and Radovan Gallo (right) (above) Grant
www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 15 operations around populated areas. The technology also has clear nancial advantages and reduces the total cost of ownership by a great margin. Firstly, the cost of charging batteries for one hour of ight is approximately 10 times cheaper than the cost of aviation fuel. Secondly, due to simpler construction and fewer moving parts, the maintenance of electric powertrains will be cheaper and less frequent. Additionally, electric ight has the potential to transform the ight experience itself, both for pilots and passengers. In the air, passengers will bene t from increased comfort, even being able to talk freely without bulky noise-cancelling headsets. On the ground, large parts of pre- and post- ight checklists that focus on the engine, oil and fuel inspection can be eliminated, meaning that pilots can spend more time ying. Having fewer moving parts means that electric powertrains can be made safer and more reliable. They can also be designed with full redundancy and failsafe systems in mind. “Compared to piston and turboprop engines, our technology can reduce aircra operating costs by over 30% and halve the perceived noise levels, while producing no greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use,” says Gallo. “Our complete powertrain systems act as direct replacements for popular combustion engines. What we represent is a turnkey solution with straightforward integration for customers.” Partnership support As Flux Aviation transitions towards ight testing of its prototype motors and batteries, it is running a very hardwarerich and R&D-intensive development programme. Gallo says that the support from Get It Made has allowed them to develop and test new concepts faster: “It has allowed the team to explore novel designs and achieve higher performance thanks to access to new capabilities and manufacturing techniques. Having access to quick turnaround of highprecision CNC machined parts has been key to meeting our ambitious deadlines.” Both Gallo and Dimitriou are acutely aware of the fact that everything they do, particularly during the prototype stage, is governed by two main constraints – mass and safety. “In a typical electric car, if anything goes wrong with your battery, you can stop at the side of the road and jump out,” explains Gallo. “You don’t have that luxury when cruising at 30,000 in the air. Our patent pending battery modules are therefore not just incredibly lightweight but also extremely safe in order to meet and exceed strict aviation safety standards. “In an aerospace application, every gram counts and to succeed in our mission we’ve developed the entire powertrain to be an integrated and heavily optimised unit. We’re utilising high-performance aluminium alloys, titanium and composites to achieve the ultimate performance.” What excites them the most is the prospect of dramatically improving aircra safety by designing fully redundant systems and switching to electric power. This has meant solving a plethora of challenges and iterating new designs quickly, as Gallo explains: “For us, this is why rapid prototyping and verifying our simulations with experimental testing has been pivotal in helping us achieve this. But this also has involved a lot of parts that have had to be made and tested, oen destructively, in order to learn quickly and develop improved designs, such as our lithium battery packs which are designed to withstand a full battery re for over ve minutes without failure.” The future is electric As for the future, seemingly the sky is the limit: “We genuinely believe that this innovation will re-ignite the general aviation industry and allow it to thrive into the future, one that’s quiet, clean and aordable for everyone,” concludes Gallo. “Our ultimate ambition is to scale our technology to decarbonise all regional and domestic ights. These are some of the most polluting ights in operation today, with all journeys shorter than 500 miles together accounting for over 20% of all aviation emissions. This is what motivates us to become the leader in sustainable aviation technologies.” www. uxaviation.com Flux’s patent pending battery modules are both lightweight and extremely safe (above) Flux’s lithium battery packs can withstand a full battery fire for over five minutes without failure (below)
16 October 2013 www.aeromag.com February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com AIRCRAFT PROGRAMMES: ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT rban air mobility (UAM), the concept of leveraging the airspace above cities to enable the safe and emission-free transport of people and products, is an innovative and exciting eld. Whilst the idea may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago, being able to zip through the air in a ying car is much closer than many realise. In fact, 2023 saw the race between UAM developers intensify. According to the McKinsey’s Centre for Future Mobility, 72% and 64% of the 25 largest mainstream aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, respectively, are engaged in future air mobility technologies. Today, there are dozens of real prototypes ying around. Developments in eVTOL aircra have been gaining traction due to their applications and potential benets, which include not only passenger transport via air taxi, but also the transportation and delivery of goods, medical and humanitarian assistance, and even reghting. In October 2023, Wisk became the rst air taxi company in the US to provide public ights, with autonomous passenger ights tested at Long Beach airport. In the same month, eHang became the world’s rst fully certied electric vertical take-o and landing (eVTOL) air taxi cleared for commercial work, aer being type-certied in China (it is only certied in China). Additionally, Archer Aviation, widely regarded as the market leader in developing eVTOL aircra, has plans to launch Midnight, a four-passenger aircra designed to optimise pointto-point trips of approximately 20 miles in 2025, and Joby Aviation is not far behind. Its aircra, however, is expected to have a range of up to 150 miles. Backed by Uber, Joby plans to revolutionise the concept of ride-sharing, with plans to also start operating from 2025. In line with these exciting announcements, Canada’s Jaunt Journey, which introduced its agship eVTOL in 2020, launched an air corridor to oer indigenous communities faster and easier access to essential health and emergency services last year; similarly, Californiabased Jump Aero unveiled the design and specs for an aircra set to reduce emergency response times in rural Growing urbanisation, increasing trac congestion, and the need for smarter and more sustainable transport solutions has led to signicant investment in urban air mobility solutions in recent years. Magnomatics’ chief executive ocer, Gary Rodgers looks at what’s driving development in this eld. U A NEW CHAPTER IN CIVIL eVTOL aircraft will need to operate in complex airspace and over congested urban areas (above) Aviation Gary Rodgers, CEO of Magnomatics (below)
www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 17 areas by bringing rst responders to emergency sites. While the concept of UAM is exciting, eVTOL aircra bring with them many challenges. For example, they need to operate in complex airspace and over congested urban areas, which means the need for reliability and redundancy is critical. Additionally, composites technology is critical to the development and growth of this market as very strong yet lightweight materials are required to enable these aircra to y maximum distances with minimal electric power. On the topic of electric power, a common feature shared by all UAM solutions is that they rely on multiple electric motors. The route to power density in electric machines has historically been to operate permanent Scan here for more Magnomatics articles magnet motors (PM) at higher speeds, o en in excess of 10,000rpm. To become useful for air mobility aircra , these speeds need to be geared down by as much as seven times. Conventionally this introduces the requirement for a mechanical gearbox, raising the issues of reliability, wear, maintenance, and noise. NASA has been at the heart of UAM development and identi ed magnetic gears as being a potential technology for electric aircra . In 2018, NASA embarked on a programme described in its paper ‘Magnetic Gearing Research for Electri ed Aircra Propulsion’. Its original focus was on pure magnetic gears, but in the 2020 paper ‘Outer Stator Magnetically Geared Motors for Urban Air Mobility Vehicles’ it stated that the concentric combination of a magnetic gear and a permanent magnet motor would be ideal for UAM aircra , concluding that a magnetically geared motor was a highly eective solution to avoid the pitfalls of a mechanically geared high-speed electric motor. Powering UAM solutions While UAM systems are inherently complex, their performance can be signi cantly improved with intelligent system-level design. Magnetically geared motors are a key enabling technology for these solutions to ensure e ciency. Magnomatics’ revolutionary magnetic gears have been implemented in a range of innovative industry solutions, including oshore wind, marine propulsion, and light rail. Having achieved success at large scale, the company has turned its attention to much smaller machines, including drives for both UAM aircra and personal micromobility vehicles. The company’s patented Pseudo Direct Drive (PDD) – which is designed to overcome the torque limitations of conventional direct drive electrical machines – consists of a magnetic gear mounted inside a stator. The outer magnetics of the magnetic gear are attached to the inner bore of the stator, and copper windings in the stator are used to drive the inner rotor of the magnetic gear. This is a relatively high-speed electric motor with a relatively low load, which results in low currents and hence, low temperatures. This in turn brings great e ciency, long life, and prevents demagnetisation of the outer magnet array. The torque in the inner rotor is then geared up in the novel polepiece rotor, typically by between 5 and 10:1. The result is a very compact and highly e cient electric motor, which is perfect for the UAM market. The bene ts of innovative magnetically geared motors such as PDD against conventional generator technology, particularly for this market, are drastic reductions in motor size, no minimum cooling requirements, and reduced maintenance requirements. E ciency is also improved as there are no gearbox losses and, of course, gear wear is eliminated altogether. The capabilities of UAM solutions are increasingly and successfully being tested, many thousands of hours of test ights have been conducted, and the aircra ’s potential to improve air mobility by moving people and cargo more quickly, quietly, and cost eectively are becoming ever clearer. The realisation of ying cars, once the stu of science ction, marks a signi cant chapter in civil aviation history. With a vital contribution to make, Magnomatics continues to watch the exciting and rapidly developing UAM market with interest. www.magnomatics.com Whilst the idea may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago, being able to zip through the air in a ying car is much closer than many realise Magnomatics’ Pseudo Direct Drive is designed to overcome the torque limitations of conventional direct drive electrical machines (below)
18 October 2013 www.aeromag.com February/March 2024 Aerospace Manufacturing www.aero-mag.com TECHNOLOGY FEATURE: WINGS &D Test Systems has recently been approved to participate in the ‘Ultra Performance Wing’ (UP Wing), led by Airbus with funding from the Clean Aviation programme under Horizon Europe. The UP wing project is an important part of the ‘Ultra E cient Short and Medium Range Aircra ’ pillar of Clean Aviation. Horizon Europe Clean Aviation is divided by the three pillars: ‘Disruptive H2 technologies’, ‘Hybridelectric regional aircra ’ and ‘Ultra e cient short and medium range aircra (ultra-e cient SMR)’. This ‘ultrae cient SMR’ pillar aims to improve the energy e ciency of short-medium range (SMR) aircra by 30% before 2035. R&D Test Systems’ contribution to the project is focused on rain erosion testing of the leading edge of the new type of wing. Rain erosion is a challenge in the aviation industry, and testing will aim to ensure that the new wing design will be more durable to withstand the impact of rain droplets at high speeds. This extensive testing will be conducted on the in-house developed Rain Erosion Tester (RET), a state-ofthe-art facility equipped with the latest technology and equipment to ensure accurate and reliable results. The project will be executed until 2025 and will consist of dierent test campaigns. By participating in the UP wing project, R&D Test Systems hopes to contribute with insightful knowledge and testing capacity and to gain more experience within the aerospace industry. R&D Test Systems’ Aerospace Rain Erosion Tester helps improve the longevity of aircra wings by testing erosion on the wings’ leading edges. It is based on a three-bladed helicopter principle with test specimens shaped like the leading edges of a standard aircra wing. This test setup ensures conditions very similar to real-life harsh weather in an accelerated way. Please begin by brie y explaining how the rain erosion testing process works? You always test three identical subjects at a time. They must weigh the same down to a few grams; otherwise, the tester can’t run. Then, you program the test sequence and determine how many hours to test, the amount of water temperature, etc. Along the way, the tester slows down at xed intervals for the camera to take pictures of the test subjects. Once the test is complete, the operator looks through the images and assesses how advanced the erosion is and exactly what defects can be seen. What types of testing performance demands are placed on you by today’s customers? The most important feature when testing rain erosion is repeatability. It is essential for the results that the In a Q&A session, R&D Test Systems’ project manager, Jesper Dal Hasager discusses the kinds of trends and demands associated with rain erosion testing of aircra wing leading edges. R AT THE LEADING EDGE OF WING The Aerospace Rain Erosion Tester improves the longevity of aircraft wings (above)
www.aero-mag.com Aerospace Manufacturing February/March 2024 19 tests are the same, so our customers can make tests where they know that the only variable is the product they are putting into the machine for testing. We can ensure this as the rain erosion tester has a proven level of repeatability and complies with SAE AMS C 83231A Aerospace Material Specication for Coatings, Polyurethane, Rain Erosion Resistant for Exterior Aircra and Missile Plastic Parts. To match the environment of an aircra wing, we have turned up the test specimen tip speed from 173m/s, which is the top speed in the wind industry, to 224m/s. Where is the focus of your R&D e orts and what rain erosion testing-related developments will we be seeing in the future? The RET that Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has purchased will be the most advanced on the market and will be able to emulate rain with three times the intensity because the rain eld can be opened up to 1,800 needles instead of the standard 600 needles. In addition to increased rain density, DTU has also chosen to incorporate a heat pump to heat the ventilation air, which, in addition to drastically reducing energy consumption, also provides increased possibilities for controlling the temperature. Specic to aerospace, we are in the process of updating our test specimen xture to better match the test pieces that need to be tested. As it’s the very tip of the wing that is most aected by rain erosion, it makes sense to test a smaller specimen compared to the wind industry, where you need a larger piece of the leading edge tested. R&D Test Systems participates in the project REQUIM, which aims to optimise rain testing of wings and blades with articial intelligence (AI). Today, the wing damage is reviewed manually by looking at photos from the tests. However, the project REQUIM will look into using new AI technology to automate this process, which can save up to 20 hours of assessment work per tested specimen. Today, you can manually test for a type of damage in the upper layer. With AI, you can test for air bubbles, ssures and other damage in several layers. R&D Test Systems is the so-called problem owner in the project, as the company develops and sells Rain Erosion Test machines. Our customers spend 20% of the test time on image processing in continuation of a test period, so it will be a great saving if we can automate the process. How much of a role can simulation and visualisation so ware play in the rain erosion testing arena? We experience that it is very dicult to predict the wear and tear that happens on leading edges. So, the coating manufacturers and test centres need to test their products and solutions on our rain erosion tester to validate and prove their technology. Hence, we do not foresee that this will be replaced by digital testing in the near future. Do you nd the aerospace industry as a whole, quite dynamic and quick to adopt new technologies as key to competitive edge? As we have our roots in the wind turbine industry, we nd that the aerospace industry is still a lot more bounded by traditions and ‘how you have always done things’. But we do see a transition towards more interest and acknowledgment of how new testing methods can contribute when developing new technologies and products. https://rdtestsystems.com Rain erosion testing aims to ensure wing designs will be more durable to withstand the impact of rain droplets at high speeds (above) R&D Test Systems’ project manager, Jesper Dal Hasager (below)
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