Premium AEROTEC is gearing up for series production of the new A350 XWB long-haul aircraft. The autoclave (pressurised oven), 25 metres long and eight metres high in diameter, has been delivered to the plant in Augsburg. Premium AEROTEC is the world’s largest supplier of fuselage structures for the A350 XWB. Total investment at Premium AEROTEC for this future generation of aircraft amounts to around € 360 million.

Premium AEROTEC is the most important aerostructures supplier for the new Airbus A350 XWB long-haul aircraft, whose fuselage is largely made of carbon fibre composite (CFC) materials. This cuttingedge CFC technology is essential for production of the highly complex fuselage structure for the A350 XWB, with its lightweight design. It involves creating the outer skin with a fibre placement machine and curing it in the autoclave. The autoclave technology enables these CFC materials to be manufactured to the highest level of quality. Curing in the autoclave at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius with a combination of high and low pressure produces components that are extremely strong but also have low specific weight. In combination with other measures, this considerably reduces fuel consumption for this future generation of Airbus aircraft.

The autoclave, with a transport weight of 260 tonnes, was manufactured in South Korea specially for Premium AEROTEC. It was lifted off the river barge by Europe’s largest mobile crane in Lauffen am Neckar, from where it began its final route by road to Augsburg. Its total length for the transport (without its pressurised door) is 25 metres and its external diameter is eight metres. The new autoclave has a usable length of 23 metres and a usable diameter of seven metres. The manufacturing cost of the autoclave comes to approximately € 6.5 million.

“The arrival of the autoclave in Augsburg is another milestone in Premium AEROTEC’s preparations for production of the new A350 XWB. The skills and expertise gained in this trendsetting CFC technology are also a visible proof of our outstandingly trained and highly motivated workforce,” said Peter Schwarz, Head of Augsburg plant.

Hans Lonsinger, President and Chief Executive Officer of Premium AEROTEC, added: “Through our investment in new, innovative technologies here in Augsburg and at our other locations in Nordenham, Bremen and Varel, we are ideally equipped to secure our global competitiveness and growth over the long term and to further expand on that basis.”

A production hall with a floor area of 25,000 m² is currently being built in Augsburg, on a site measuring some 63,000 m². The production hall is initially being built for the manufacture of the large-dimension side shells of the rear fuselage section (sections 16-18) for the new A350 XWB long-haul aircraft. The new autoclave will also be installed in this new production hall. Once it has been set up and the installation phase is completed, the autoclave is scheduled to run through its first cure cycle in mid-2010 and then be available for the start of series production. A fibre-placement machine for producing the carbon fibre composite (CFC) side shells of the new A350 XWB has already been installed. It has been completely set up and wired, and will be fully commissioned during the coming weeks.

In parallel with construction of the hall in Augsburg, building of the production hall for the forward fuselage section (sections 13/14) of the A350 XWB at the Nordenham site is also well advanced.

Premium AEROTEC GmbH has more than 6,000 employees and expects to generate revenues of about one billion euros for 2009. Its core business is the development and manufacturing of metal and carbon composite aerostructures and the associated equipment and production systems. The company has production plants in Augsburg, Bremen, Nordenham and Varel.

Source: EADS