STELIA Aerospace has received the 2020 JEC Award in the "Aerospace" category, together with its partners IS Groupe, Arkema, Latecoere and Hexcel, as a reward for their ISW welding project (Innovative Solution for Welding of Thermoplastic Composites).

For 15 years, the JEC Innovation Awards have been an international reference in the composite material field. Each year they reward the most innovative projects in the industry, health, sport and sustainable development fields, promoting companies and technologies who contribute to the development and recognition of the composite industry.

Rewarded by an international jury of experts from the industrial and academic worlds, the ISW project is an innovative welding technique, co-developed and patented by IS Groupe and Arkema, based on a mobile susceptor heated by induction and merging the interfaces that need to be welded. The first adjustments and evaluations carried out on by the five partners on high performance thermoplastic composite materials proved the high potential of this technology, enabling to obtain optimal mechanical performances and welding quality. STELIA Aerospace has already tested this technology for the welding of fuselage stringers.

Developing fuselage sections made of thermoplastic composites is one of STELIA Aerospace's major development channels and thermoplastic welding is one of its essential technological bricks. After its first developments 4 years ago with TP welding (ARCHES Box TP project, in partnership with IS Groupe), STELIA Aerospace foresees in ISW technology a new and important step for the success of this development.

The partnership between IS Groupe, Arkema, Latecoere, Hexcel and STELIA Aerospace enables to share strong and multidisciplinary skills regarding materials, processes and aerostructures on this technology and will therefore help optimise its development.

Cedric GAUTIER, STELIA Aerospace CEO, said: " In the name of STELIA Aerospace and all its employees, I am very happy, especially in this period which is difficult for us all and particularly for the aeronautical industry, to be awarded this prize, an international acknowledgement of the high level of expertise of our R&T teams in composite materials, comforting our position as one of the world leaders in our core sectors."