Hexcel Corporation it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) business of Oxford Performance Materials (OPM). OPM A&D produces thermoplastic, carbon fiber reinforced 3D printed parts for commercial aerospace and space and defense applications. Other businesses of OPM are not included in the acquisition.
According to Hexcel, OPM is the first company to successfully use polymer PEKK additive manufacturing (AM) technology for aerospace, industrial and biomedical applications. The technology can reportedly replace machined, cast, and printed metal parts in many applications. OPM was awarded a contract from Boeing to supply 3D-printed structural production parts for the CST-100 Starliner.
Hexcel says that its acquisition will enable more rapid operational scaling and development of this emerging technology to meet growing market demand for carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic additive technology in aerospace and defense.
This story is reprinted from material from Hexcel, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
