Daher has designed and built its first-ever thermoplastic composite wing rib, applying the company's expertise with this technology for increasingly complex airframe components produced - offering aircraft manufacturers lightweight solutions that are alternative, or complementary, to metallic and more traditional thermoset composite parts.

The thermoplastic composite rib, to be displayed for the first time on Daher's exhibit stand at this month's Paris Air Show (Hall 2A, booth B253), is sized for a business jet and will be incorporated in a test wing box constructed during 2018 as part of the Composite Aircraft of the Future platform led by the French Civil Aviation Research Council (CORAC).

-- Using thermoplastic composites to boost productivity and cut costs --

Daher has focused on innovation since the company's inception and continues to enhance its expertise in the design, industrialization and manufacture of thermoplastic parts for the aerospace industry. This includes the filing of patents and the development of design and technology capabilities that allow it to create complex parts and offer different materials that can reduce production costs.

In addition to their lighter weight, parts made from thermoplastic composites 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 is aligned with the faster production times sought by the aerospace industry today.

The curing process also is reversible, meaning that thermoplastic parts can be shaped for one purpose then reheated and reshaped for another. This unlocks possibilities in terms of welding that reduces the number of fasteners required in the build-up of airframe components, as well as for repairs. These factors will make aircraft lighter and reduce fuel consumption, while the weight and cost savings will allow aircraft manufacturers to improve aircraft performance and boost profitability.

"The ability to make structures out of thermoplastic composites underscores Daher's trailblazing technological expertise and its capabilities in research," explained Dominique Bailly, Daher's Director of Research and Technology. "The new thermoplastic composite rib demonstrates that we can make parts 35 percent lighter than their metal equivalents for the same cost. Our goal is to develop alternative ranges that will allow us to make even lighter and more cost-effective structures to meet the needs of aircraft manufacturers in terms of profitability and productivity."