FACC joins international consortium for thermoplastics research

FACC AG (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) has jointed forced with the international research network of the ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC, Enschede, Netherlands) in order to conduct research into furthering the development of thermoplastic composites. These materials are particularly attractive for the aerospace industry due to their light weight and full recyclability. 

The other major international aerospace companies involved include Boeing (Chicago, Ill., U.S.), Spirit AeroSystems (Wichita, Kan., U.S.), Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, N.C., U.S.) and GKN Aerospace (Redditch, U.K.).

“The short manufacturing time of the components is of particular interest to us,” explains Robert Machtlinger, CEO of FACC AG. “This enables costs to be cut and energy consumption of the processes to be reduced, which confers a key competitive advantage, particularly in the dynamic field of urban air mobility [UAM]. Possible solutions range from support and control surfaces to cabin components.”

René Adam, director of research and technology at FACC adds that resilience, lower weight, processability, recyclability and cost-effectiveness — the demands placed on materials for the construction of aircraft and drones — are very high. “The materials that are currently being researched together with international partners offer enormous potential in this regard,” Adam says. “Manufacturing by means of thermoplastic fiber composites has now become one of the core elements of materials and process research in the aerospace sector.”