JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #116 - October 2017 - 51

Aeronautics
lnnovative thermoplastic composite wing rib

Motorbike
lnnovative SLS front air inlet made with high-performance materials
Solar energy
Ultra-light photovoltaic panel based on polyamide honeycomb technology

SOLUTlONS

Bike
Taking the lead with composites

51
52
54
57
aeronautics SOLUTlONS

lnnovative thermoplastic composite wing rib
Daher has focused on innovation since its inception and continues to enhance its
expertise in designing, industrializing and manufacturing thermoplastic parts for
the aerospace industry.
Dominique Bailly
R&T Director
Daher

he company has now
designed and built its
first-ever thermoplastic
composite rib, which will
be used in the test wing box
built as part of the Composite
Aircraft of the Future platform led by the French Civil
Aviation Research Council
(CORAC) initiative in 2018.

and ways to complement - the
use of metal and thermoset
parts. Parts made from thermoplastic composite materials
are more resilient and provide
recycling potential not possible with other materials.
Curing thermoplastic matrices requires the application
of heat and pressure in very
short cycles, which ties in with
faster production times in the
aerospace industry.

Thermoplastic composites
boost productivity and cut
costs
With several patents filed,
Daher has the design and tech
capabilities needed to build
thermoplastic composite ribs,
so that it can manufacture
increasingly complex parts and
offer different materials and
ranges that can reduce production costs.
The company's thermoplastic
composite solutions give aircraft
manufacturers alternatives to -

A reversible process
The curing process is reversible, meaning thermoplastic
parts can be shaped for one
purpose and then reheated
and reshaped for another. This
unlocks possibilities in terms
of welding and repairs, significantly reducing the number of
fixings. All of these factors will
make aircraft lighter and reduce fuel consumption. These
weight and cost savings will
enable aircraft manufacturers
to improve aircraft perfor-

T

This innovative rib was
showcased at the Paris
International Airshow
2017

mance and boost profitability.
Daher offers trailblazing technological expertise such as the
ability to make structures out
of thermoplastic composites,
which symbolizes its R&T
prowess. With this new
thermoplastic composite rib,
the company has shown it can
make parts that are 35% lighter
than their metal equivalents

for the same cost. The goal is
to develop alternative ranges
that will allow the production
of even lighter structures
more cost effectively to meet
the needs of aircraft manufacturers in terms of profitability
and productivity.
More information:
www.daher.com

Focus
Daher is an equipment supplier developing integrated
industrial systems for the aerospace and advanced
technology sectors. By combining its know-how in industrial manufacturing, product and process engineering, logistics and transport, and industrial services, the
company designs and develops value-added solutions
for its industrial customers..

N°116 October 2017

/ jec composites magazine

51
http://www.daher.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #116 - October 2017
