Spirit AeroSystems says that it will be participating in Airbus’s Wing of Tomorrow program, which is aimed at developing materials, manufacturing and assembly techniques in aerodynamics and wing architecture.
The company plans to focus on the fabrication and assembly of leading edges, wing boxes and lower wing covers.
One of the projects involves using composite resin-flow simulation tools to infuse a 7 m lower wing cover as part of a demonstration project. According to Spirit, the demonstrator is a major step towards delivering a full-scale, resin-infused lower cover to Airbus.
‘These projects are not just about composite infusion technology,’ said Spirit AeroSystems vice president Sean Black. ‘Using digital design and manufacturing approaches, we're developing the product in parallel with the production system. In collaboration with the National Composites Centre and Advanced Forming Research Centre we're also developing highly automated fabrication and inspection technologies. In addition, we are implementing significant advances in fabrication and assembly tooling technologies.’
This story uses material from Spirit AeroSystems, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
