NextGen Aerospace
3D-printed composite wind blades and aircraft, closer than you think
Orbital Composites’ patented coaxial extrusion process is investigated at Airbus subsidiary CTC GmbH Stade and spins off advances in speed, scale, materials and multifunctionality as it aims for very large structures.
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Composites and metal vie for fuselage and driveshafts in "Racer" next-gen, high-speed rotorcraft
New compound helicopter demonstrator set to fly in 2020 with hybrid fuselage and flexible metal driveshafts for twin pusher turboprops but will trial carbon composite shafts by 2021.
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Electric power for aircraft on the horizon
As a general aviation enthusiast and co-pilot — my husband and I fly a Mooney on occasion — I have been closely following the news about the Solar Impulse plane and the team’s historic round-the-world flight, on solar power alone.
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Airbus Helicopters verify performance of 410km/h Clean Sky 2 demonstrator
X3-based, compound VTOL airframe configuration nears final design but exact use of composites yet to be detailed
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Thermoplastic composite wings on the horizon?
OUTCOME, a project under the Clean Sky 2 program, aims to industrialize out-of-autoclave thermoplastic primary aerostructure.
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Re-dressing aeroengines with composite pipes
Sigma Lite braided carbon fiber/thermoplastic pipe cuts jet engine weight yet meets challenging design and manufacturing requirements.
Read MoreComposite aeroengine dressing to wing driveshafts, SHM and more
For Sigma Precision Components (Hinckley, UK), composite pipe for jet engine dressing could be only the beginning.
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Plant Tour: Fokker Aerostructures: Hoogeveen, Netherlands
This Dutch aerospace supplier leverages its founder’s pioneering spirit from a century ago to lead the way, today, in thermoplastic aerocomposites.
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Graphene-toughened composites
Are we getting closer to commercialized, and functional, nanotechnology?
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Extending robotic NDT to aerospace certification
Automating current manual testing promises increased speed, reduced cost, earlier damage detection and more detailed analysis of damage growth.
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