Partners recycle A350 composite production waste into adjustable-length rods for MFFD

A new approach to creating aircraft parts has been developed by reusing production waste from the manufacturing of clips and cleats for the Airbus (Toulouse, France) A350. This approach uses thermoplastic composites made from recycled materials, which provide a more circular alternative to contemporary thermoset composites. The use of thermoplastic composites has several advantages, including short cycle times, high toughness and weldability, making it an ideal material for next generation aircraft (see “Thermoplastic composites welding advances for more sustainable airframes”).

The Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) is demonstrating a NextGen Cabin and Cargo concept that standardizes the interfaces between the airframe and the customized cabin and systems components. This new “Crown Module” includes the ceiling area and “hat-rack” as well as electrical, air conditioning and oxygen supply components and numerous mechanical fixings. Pre-assembled and installed into the fuselage in a single attachment step, the MFFD Crown Module was constructed not with the originally planned metal beams but instead with ultra-light rods made from thermoplastic composites.

These rods are made from Teijin Carbon Europe (Wuppertal, Germany) TPUD HT CF-PPS (carbon fiber/polyphenylene sulfide) thermoplastic slit tape in combination with Spiral RTC’s (Enschede, Netherlands) recycled Spiral light PPS CF40 compound. The adjustable length rods are a great example of how production waste can be reused to create new and innovative products.

The recycled material used in this case comes from the production waste of clips and cleats for the Airbus A350 produced by the Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, N.C., U.S.) facility in Almere, Netherlands (see “The potential for thermoplastic nacelles”). Spiral then mechanically shreds the material to reduce its size and compounds it into injection molding granulate. Reuse of the material helps to avoid approximately 20 kilograms of CO₂ emissions per kilogram of granulate. This environmental benefit can help reduce the carbon footprint of the aviation industry and close the loop for high-performance thermoplastic composite materials.

The final part is manufactured by herone GmbH (Dresden, Germany) based on the automated processing of thermoplastic composite tapes in a braiding process and a subsequent energy-efficient consolidation process (see “Injection-forming for high-performance, unitized thermoplastic structures”). The formerly metallic connecting elements are replaced by injection molded parts using the recycled compound. All components use the same thermoplastic composite material, so that the components can completely be recycled again. This approach can be used for a wide variety of structures, including aircraft floor struts, tie rods and so on.

“We are excited to see the aviation industry taking steps toward sustainability by reusing production waste and reducing carbon emissions” says Christian Garthaus, managing partner for herone. “This innovative approach is a promising solution that can help support the journey to decarbonize aviation.”