Hexcel and Boeing today celebrated the first flight of the 737 MAX 8, the first member of Boeing's efficient 737 MAX family, which took to the skies from Renton Field near Boeing's 737 Final Assembly plant in Renton, Wash. Hexcel's composite materials are used on the 737 MAX airframe and engines to deliver superior strength, stiffness, weight-savings and fuel-efficiency.

According to Boeing, the 737 MAX, powered by CFM International's LEAP-1B engines, will deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market with 20 percent lower fuel use than the first Next-Generation 737s. Hexcel's HexTow IM7 carbon fiber is used to manufacture all the CFM International LEAP-1 engine fan blades and containment cases, including the LEAP-1B that powers the Boeing 737 MAX.

The engine nacelles have an acoustic inner barrel that is manufactured from Hexcel's engineered core and benefits from Hexcel's Acousti-Cap technology in which a permeable cap material is individually embedded into each honeycomb cell to create an acoustic septum. This technology is a leading contributor to the reduction of the area of acceptable noise contour of the 737 MAX engine by 40% over the legacy 737 NG, without any weight penalty.