At the end of March, Paris will once again be the scene of futuristic technology and lightweight construction. At JEC, the world’s largest composites show, scheduled for 27 to 29 March, the focus will be on new and innovative materials, their industrial processing and their application in modern high-tech products. Premium AEROTEC, Europe’s largest aerostructures supplier, is using the annual trade fair to showcase its abilities in the area of manufacturing technologies and carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) aerostructures.

At the JEC trade fair, Premium AEROTEC is displaying a true-to-life CFRP component of the A350 XWB, the latest long-haul airliner in the Airbus family. With this exhibit, which measures roughly 4 x 2.3 metres, the company is highlighting its capabilities in the development and manufacture of complex aerostructures from sustainable materials. Premium AEROTEC is the largest supplier of structures for the A350 XWB. Besides the development, manufacture and assembly of the entire forward fuselage section (section 13/14) and the CFRP side shells, the CFRP pressure bulkhead and the floor structure of the rear fuselage section (16/18), Premium AEROTEC produces the attachments for the main landing gear and other structural components of the fuselage and wings.

CFRP materials are increasingly becoming the material of choice for aerostructures due to their low weight and excellent corrosion properties. They can be used to create structures that are considerably lighter than those made of conventional metal materials. In this context, Premium AEROTEC possesses significant capabilities with its know-how on the development of manufacturing systems through to their realisation on the customer’s premises. Building on its long experience and using state-of-the-art analysis and simulation tools, the company develops new manufacturing concepts that are perfectly tailored to the customer’s needs. As an example of these abilities, the company is presenting a model of a device for winding up carbon fibres. This method could be used to produce entire fuselage sections for aircraft, for example. The model underlines the company’s innovative approach towards developing new process-oriented manufacturing systems on the basis of existing requirements and customer needs. Also featured in the Premium AEROTEC exhibit at the JEC trade fair is the Tyfudem model, a miniature replica of a curing tool in which CFRP laminates are semi-automatically deposited, cured and finally shaped with high precision into a finished component.

The JEC composites fair will be held in Paris (Porte de Versailles exhibition grounds) from 27 to 29 March. Premium AEROTEC can be found there at stand number Y56. In addition, Premium AEROTEC will present the demonstrator of a CFRP fuselage section produced using VAP® technology (VAP = vacuum assisted process).

This demonstrator was developed as part of the Next Generation of Integrated Composite Aerostructures (NEXICOS) innovation project, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The objective of NEXICOS is to demonstrate the ability to manufacture entire fuselage sections with integrated stringers and window frames. This is done by bonding the multiaxial CFRP laminates using an infiltration process, assisted by the VAP® method, to form a complete fuselage barrel.

Premium AEROTEC generated revenues of 1.3 billion euros in 2011. 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 in Germany, and in Bra?ov (Romania).

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