In the domain of space and satellites, weight is expensive. The heavier a product for transport into space is, the more it costs. In fact, the current estimate is costs of around €5,000-10,000 per kilogram, meaning that any weight loss is beneficial financially for companies sending satellites into space.

The new partnership is aiming to produce very tough, yet ultra-lightweight structures using continuous carbon-fibre-reinforced-polymers (CFRP) in a filament winding process creating ultralight 3D structures.

The carbon fibre is coated with a polymer that solidifies the entire object rendering it extremely solid and resilient. Impregnated carbon fibres are wound to form an optimised 3D-mesh design that gives the part its special mechanical properties.

Two projects will be carried out at the LIST-Gradel labs, the first called “xFKin3D”, consists of making parts by hand with the filament weaving manually. It will target the demonstration space-use standards of structural parts produced by the xFKin3D technology.

The second project to be known as “Robotised xFKin3D” will be the challenge of producing the same parts as the first project, but with the use of a new robotic arm recently installed at LIST, making it a fully automated manufacturing process, assuring excellent repeatability, to the same strength and quality, but on a larger scale.

The components produced are destined for use in all that is antenna support, bracket for equipment in satellites. Currently many of these parts are metallic and therefore relatively heavy. The aim is to move away from metal parts, and with this new technology by LIST and Gradel produced in Luxembourg, a reduction of up to 75% in weight can be achieved, saving companies considerable costs.

Both projects are supported by the Luxembourg National Space Programme LuxIMPULSE, which aims at providing funding to help companies established in Luxembourg to bring innovative ideas to market. The programme is managed by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) together with the European Space Agency (ESA).

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Baillie Gifford, known for their track record of investing in technology companies such as Amazon, Tesla, Airbnb and SpaceX has invested $35 million into the company.

The news comes less than three months after Lilium confirmed it had received $240m in additional funding from existing investors including Atomico, Freigeist, LGT and Tencent, who led the investment round.

The funds raised during this round give us the security to weather the challenging economic landscape we see around us and we’re grateful to be able to stay fully focused on our mission

The new funds bring the total sum raised to date to more than $375m, which will be used to support further development of the Lilium Jet as well as underpinning preparations for serial production in Lilium’s newly-completed manufacturing facilities.

The Lilium Jet, constructed using carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) is a new type of aircraft that the company says will deliver regional journeys that are considerably faster than rail or road, yet competitive in price. The demonstrator aircraft first flew in May 2019 and is a five-seater, fully-electric aircraft that can take-off and land vertically (eVTOL). Lilium expects to service a sizeable global market demand by connecting communities at a fraction of the cost of conventional high-speed infrastructure, with zero operating emissions.

As well as designing and manufacturing the Lilium Jet, the company plans to operate a regional air mobility service as early as 2025 in several regions around the world. It recently celebrated the completion of the first stage of flight testing, with the five-seater Lilium Jet demonstrator flying at speeds exceeding 100 km/h.

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The 737 Max was grounded back in March 2018 after two fatal crashes that killed a total of 346 people. Boeing continued to produce the aircraft but in December of 2019 announced plans to suspend production.

The company has said that during the suspension, mechanics and engineers have worked together to standardise work packages and revamp the kitting process to ensure employees have everything they need to build the aeroplane.

We’ve been on a continuous journey to evolve our production system and make it even stronger. These initiatives are the next step in creating the optimal build environment for the 737 MAX.

Walt Odisho, vice president and general manager of the 737 program

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boeing doesn’t expect the 737 Max to fly again until at least the middle of 2020 although it has yet to be cleared to return by the FAA. Boeing recently announced plans to lay off almost 7,000 staff as Coronavirus continues to hit the aerospace industry hard.

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More than twenty 3D printers are working day and night. Hundreds of visors have already been produced and dispatched to hospitals close to the Airbus facilities in Spain. Airbus leverages a patented design to manufacture the visor frames, using PLA plastics. 

Overnight, we have gone from making aerospace concepts to medical equipment. This genuinely makes a difference in the fight against the pandemic and I couldn’t be prouder of our teams working day and night on this Airbus project.

Alvaro Jara, Head of Airbus Protospace, in Getafe, Madrid

Despite the pause of the majority of production at Airbus’ sites in Spain following the Royal Decree of 29 March, Airbus employees are allowed on site to continue with this essential activity. 

In addition, Airbus in Germany also joined the project. The Airbus Protospace Germany and the Airbus Composite Technology Centre (CTC) in Stade, together with the 3D-printing network named “Mobility goes Additive,” are now supporting this project in Spain, also coordinating the collection and transport of visors to the Madrid region. 

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Part of the Air Force 2030 Science and Technology strategy includes the deployment of low-cost Unmanned Aerial Systems in mass to assist in future near-peer engagements. In order to realise this vision, new manufacturing strategies need to be identified which can support the rapid manufacturing of high-quality aerospace components at costs that are lower than what is currently available using legacy manufacturing processes.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division and the contractor team of Cornerstone Research Group, A&P Technology and Spintech LLC, conducted research to quantify the benefits of replacing legacy manufacturing processes with novel processes for the fabrication of an 11-foot long, S-shaped engine inlet duct.

The legacy fabrication process for the inlet duct consists of composite material pre-impregnated with a synthetic resin, applied by hand, to a multi-piece steel mandrel. The mandrel is packaged and placed in an autoclave for processing. An autoclave is essentially a heated pressure vessel which supplies heat to activate resin curing and pressure to ensure there is minimal absorbency in the fully cured composite part.

The approach replaces the hand-applied composite prepreg with an automated over-braid process which applies dry fibre to a mandrel. The very heavy multi-piece steel mandrel was replaced with a light-weight single-piece shape-memory polymer mandrel and the dry braided carbon fibre was processed with low-cost epoxy resin using a vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding process.

One of the primary goals of this program is to understand the part cost and production time benefits from introducing the new tooling and processing solutions.

The team completed element analysis finalisation of the over-braid architecture, fabrication of a shape memory polymer-forming tool and construction of the SMP mandrel that will serve as the tool during the preform over-braid process.

We believe that the introduction of a reusable shape memory polymer mandrel together with the automated over-braid process and an oven based VARTM composite cure will lead to significant cost and cycle time reductions

 Mr. Craig Neslen, manufacturing lead for the Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology Initiative

Because of inlet duct geometrical complexity, multiple iterations were necessary to optimise the over-braid machine settings and thus minimise composite material wrinkling. A total of four inlet ducts will be fabricated and legacy part cost and production time will be compared to the new design.

The final inlet duct will be delivered to the government for further integration into the Aerospace System’s Directorate’s complementary airframe design and manufacturing program. Personnel at the Aerospace Vehicles Division will conduct static ground testing of the integrated braided fuselage and inlet duct structure.

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Airbus partially resumed production and assembly work in France and Spain on Monday, 23 March following a four-day pause. At the same time, operations in the UK, Germany and the US continued at normal rates. Based on the adapted ways of working which reflect the new health and safety measures, Airbus is continuing to evaluate its production flow. 

The company’s wing plants in Bremen, Filton and Broughton will be reduced, with an extended Easter holiday implemented at Broughton and Filton and a reduced working week at Bremen. The sites will remain open during this period and will continue to ensure wing deliveries to the final assembly lines, the receipt and control of materials and components from the supply chain, building and installation maintenance, critical administrative support and preparation for activity restart. Employees will continue to perform activities remotely via home-working where their activities are not directly related to the production activity being adapted.

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Boeing plans to begin reducing production activity today and projects the suspension of such operations to begin on Wednesday, March 25, at sites across the Puget Sound area. The suspension of production operations will last 14 days, during which Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance and actions on COVID-19 and its associated impacts on all company operations. During this time, we will be conducting additional deep cleaning activities at impacted sites and establishing rigorous criteria for return to work.

This necessary step protects our employees and the communities where they work and live. We continue to work closely with public health officials, and we’re in contact with our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders who are affected by this temporary suspension. We regret the difficulty this will cause them, as well as our employees, but it’s vital to maintain health and safety for all those who support our products and services, and to assist in the national effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun

Production employees should continue to report for their assigned shifts today and will receive guidance on their role in the suspension shutdown process.

Puget Sound area-based employees who can work from home will continue to do so. Those who cannot work remotely will receive paid leave for the initial 10 working days of the suspension – double the company policy – which will provide coverage for the 14 calendar day suspension period.

Boeing is working to minimise this suspension’s impact on the company’s ability to deliver and support its defence and space programs and ensure the readiness of our defence customers to perform their vital missions. Boeing will work closely with those customers in the coming days to develop plans that ensure customers are supported throughout this period. Critical distribution operations in support of airline, government, and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) customers will continue.

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Employees impacted by these temporary shutdowns will be placed on furlough, as will corporate office employees whose support functions are less critical in the short-term. During this furlough period, Bombardier’s CEO and senior leadership team will forgo their pay, and the Chairman and members of Bombardier’s Board of Directors have agreed to forgo board compensation for the remainder of 2020.           

Since the coronavirus outbreak, the company has been focused on keeping our employees safe, serving our customers to the best of our ability during these difficult times and taking the necessary actions to protect our business for the long term

Pierre Beaudoin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bombardier Inc

Bombardier is also suspending its 2020 financial outlook as it evaluates the impact of temporarily closing its Canadian operations, as well as other actions being taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Erickson Incorporated is an American aerospace manufacturing and aviation service provider based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1971, it’s known for producing and operating the S-64 Air Crane helicopter, which is used in aerial firefighting and other heavy-lift operations.

After many years of manufacturing metal blades, the company has invested in the future of the S-64 rotorcraft by designing, certifying, and building composite main rotor blades. Erickson began the process of designing the new blades back in 2008, working closely with the FAA and various industry partners. In 2013 Erickson collaborated with Helicopter Transport Services (HTS), so the blades could be utilised on CH-54 rotorcraft as well.

To maintain close control of blade manufacture, Erickson built a composite manufacturing facility in 2015. After thousands of hours of design, testing, and analysis by Erickson’s engineers and partners, the new composite main rotor blades are now approved by the FAA for the S-64E with an initial life that will increase as fatigue testing continues. Certification for the CH-54A is expected to follow quickly in the coming weeks, and certification for the S-64F and CH-54B is expected this summer.

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With a diameter of 7 metres the company claim that the nose cone or payload fairing is the “largest contiguous composites fairing ever built” and can hold up to 50 per cent more than its closest competitor.

Named after pioneering astronaut John Glenn, New Glenn is a single configuration heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying people and payloads to Earth’s orbit and beyond. The crafts fully reusable first stage is designed for a minimum of 25 flights making it competitive for a variety of launch markets.

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