Thermoplastic Composite rotor

overview

Program Scope: Flight Qualify a Thermoplastic Composite Rotor

Victrex is partnering with Re:Build Manufacturing's Advanced Materials Group on a program to commercialise flight-qualified thermoplastic composite (TPC) rotors for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Victrex and Re:Build will fully fund the design, engineering, non-recurring engineering (NRE), and first article production costs of a rotor design supplied by a select AAM partner. Upon confirmation the prototype meets all agreed requirements, our AAM partner will commit to fund the flight qualification of the rotor.

AAM Commitment:

Provide drawing of rotor
Agree to flight-qualify part after prototype meets agreed specifications

Victrex/Re:Build Commitment:

Design and engineering of composite rotor
Fund NRE costs
Deliver prototype parts for qualification

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Who benefits from the program?

This call for innovation is a win-win. Accelerating the utilisation of TPCs is a win for the industry in providing more efficient aircraft to market sooner. It is a win for us as it gets more composite parts flying sooner. It is a win for our AAM partner because we are subsidising the design costs to an efficient and economical TPC solution.

Please complete the form below if you are interested in partnering with us.

why lmpaek

LMPAEK™ COMPOSITE PARTS

WHY LMPAEK?

In general, TPCs are attractive for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) because of their suitability for automated production methods. In this case, hybrid overmolding, in which part cycle times are measured in minutes vs. hours for thermoset composite equivalents.

Moreover, LMPAEK™ in particular is attractive because it's been demonstrated to produce consistent quality aerospace composite at commercial quantities out of our Bristol Rhode Island composite manufacturing facility.

LMPAEK is currently undergoing allowables generation from NCAMP so as early as Q1 2022, LMPEAK will be recognised by EASA and the FAA for aerospace applications - enabling designers, including us, to leverage analytical tools to design parts.

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benefits

Thermoplastic Composite Benefits

Up to 60% lighter than metal solutions delivering improved power to weight ratios*
Good corrosion and fatigue performance compared to metal resulting in less maintenance versus metals
Sustainability - TPC composites are fully recyclable and high-performance TPCs such as LMPAEK offer the potential to upcycle
Design flexibility
Improved throughput
Lower system costs

partnering

Why Partner with Us?

We know PAEKs and how to manufacture aerospace-quality LMPAEK composite parts to scale. If the past ten years of innovation in TPCs is any indication, these materials are poised to step forward and the AAM market can be leveraged as an accelerator for TPC technology in aerospace. AAM has a significant amount to gain from the successful utilisation of TPC solutions.

As with any aerospace endeavor, there are costs and risks associated with introducing new materials and processes for commercial production. This call for innovation is an acknowledgment of these risks and an attempt to partner with a leader in AAM to demonstrate to the market that we can make aircraft faster and lighter with the performance and quality expected by the industry.