Arkema and Hexcel to pioneer a new production process using high-temperature thermoplastics
At the Paris Air Show, the HELUES venture finely illustrates thermoplastic solutions with a new demonstrator, a complicated structural component for an overwing emergency exit door, and is the result of a multi-accomplice collaboration goaled at revolutionizing how aerospace components are produced for the following generation of high-rate aircraft manufacturing.
In 2018, Hexcel and Arkema have signed a strategic alliance to increase thermoplastic composite solutions for the aerospace sector combining the expertise of Hexcel in carbon fiber and that of Arkema in PEKK. At Paris Air Show, Hexcel has spotlighted its modern-day advancement in thermoplastic composite technology with the aid of showing a highly revolutionary PEKK/carbon thermoplastics component evolved as part of the HELUES venture.
As global requirement surges for more efficient and scalable aircraft production, especially for single-aisle jets, Hexcel and its HELUES companions are supporting OEMs address critical manufacturing challenges through new material and process inventions.
Arkema and Hexcel to pioneer a new production procedure by use of high-temperature thermoplastics.
At the middle of the HELUES technology is a one-step forming and injection over molding technology that makes use of HexPly unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber-bolstered Kepstan PEKK tapes conjunction with Kepstan PEKK injection molding compounds. This included approach allows the quick creation of a completely formed, structurally complex aspect, which includes reinforcing ribs and functional elements, in much less than two minutes.
The HELUES demonstrator directly replaces a traditionally gathered door structure with a single, integrated part, decreasing component rely and meeting steps by up to 90%. Early-degree testing confirmed excellent material bonding among molded ribs and thermoformed laminates, further assisting the part’s viability in demanding aerospace environments.
With the commercial aviation region getting ready for a future defined by high-rate manufacturing and more automated, sustainable assembly lines, thermoplastics are gaining momentum as a material of preference. By decreasing reliance on energy-in depth autoclaves and permitting robotic production procedures, solutions just like the HELUES component exhibit how composite innovation can free up both performance and manufacturing scalability for the next generation of aircraft.
The HELUES venture, funded by the German Aerospace Centre and helped by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, delivered together Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH, Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH, Christian Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG, Incoe corporation.
