Hexcel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the aerospace and 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.
The acquisition will include equipment, intellectual property and manufacturing process technology related to the A&D business operations in Connecticut, USA, while other businesses of OPM are not included in the acquisition.
According to Hexcel, OPM is the first company to successfully apply additive manufacturing (AM) technology using PEKK polymer for aerospace, industrial and biomedical applications, and its technology could replace machined, cast, and printed metal parts in many applications.
Design solutions
‘In combination with our unique carbon fiber capability, PEKK can provide a range of new technology solutions to our aerospace and defense customers in printed parts as well as assembled structures and broader design solutions,’ said Hexcel CEO Nick Stanage. ‘OPM was awarded a contract from Boeing to supply 3D printed structural production parts for the CST-100 Starliner among numerous other customer-focused development programs. Hexcel’s 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.
