FACC researches second life use of aerospace thermoplastics

International aerospace manufacturer FACC AG (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) reports significant advances in recent years in researching thermoplastic composite materials. The company has now joined 13 European partners in the COMPASS project to address the challenge of efficiently recycling these materials for use in other applications.

The COMPASS project comprising a consortium of experts from academia, research institutions, and industry — representing Austria, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Germany — will jointly address this challenge by using digital technologies to research the re-manufacturing and reshaping of components from these materials at the end of their lifespan. The project is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe program and will be led by Profactor GmbH (Steyr-Gleink, Austria). Through COMPASS, FACC aims not only to repurpose material waste to adopt a circular economic model but to reduce need for raw material extraction and minimize environmental impact.

“Our goal is to achieve carbon-neutral manufacturing by 2040. This project is an important milestone, as it enables us together with our international partners to develop tools and methods for further establishing a circular economy in aviation,” states FACC CEO Robert Machtlinger. “The high-tech materials originally developed for the use in aviation are of high interest for many other industries. By researching this approach together with our partners we are making a significant contribution to more sustainability.”

The research project focuses on a novel data-driven approach to re-manufacturing, including a comprehensive digital component passport and a digital platform for secure information exchange. The passport will capture real-time information about component quality, performance and history to represent a digital twin of the part. The platform, on the other hand, will enable secure access to this data to pre-approved re-manufacturers and also use intelligent tools to help digitally assess re-manufacturing from a technical as well as an economic standpoint. This further provides FACC a business model for future end-of-life parts.

Research into thermoplastic composites, is of course a particular interest to the aviation industry, which maintains high build rates, requiring new production methods that also enable carbon neutral manufacturing. As part of its strategy to establish a robust and high-rate production process in aerospace, FACC joined the international consortium ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC) in 2021, joining forces with prominent international aerospace companies.