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Fokker & NLR open plant for composite aircraft components

31 Mar '15

3 min read

Fokker and the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) have opened a manufacturing plant for composite aircraft components in Marknesse, Netherlands.

The plant will produce composite landing gear components while also developing new manufacturing techniques for high performance composites.

“Other high-tech companies that develop composites can also use the facility for testing their materials and automating production processes,” Fokker said in a press release.

The new automated composite manufacturing pilot plant’ is widely regarded as a key step in developing expert knowledge of composites in the Netherlands.

Composites are increasing replacing steel or aluminium parts in the aviation industry and are also often stronger, more sustainable, less expensive, and capable of being applied in a wide variety of areas.

The ACM Pilot plant will start with the further robotification of the production of composite landing gear components.

The plant will focus on producing composites reinforced with industrial resins, for which the plant is outfitted with ultra-modern equipment, including one of the largest robotic composite fibre braiding machines in Europe.

The ACM Pilot Plant is open to other companies that want to produce their composites on a large scale, including to companies that are active outside the aviation sector.

The unique knowledge and facilities available in Marknesse are ideally suited for developing the most cost efficient manufacturing methods.

“It is often precisely this last step, between a prototype and launching the product - that proves so difficult in bringing innovations to market,” Fokker noted.

This new facility has been set up through a Public-Private Partnership between Fokker Landing Gear and NLR, in collaboration with Ministry of Economic Affairs, the province of Flevoland and the Noordoostpolder municipality.

According to Fokker, this Pilot Plant is the embodiment of the ‘golden triangle’ between government, industry and knowledge institutions.

At the Pilot Plant, 20 highly skilled automation experts and operators are engaged in automating, optimising and rendering sustainable the manufacturing processes.

Frank Mulders, MD at Fokker Landing Gear said, “As a supplier to global aviation industry, and for other Dutch companies, this is an important step on the way to the sustainable production of composite components.”

NAL regards the Pilot Plant as a logical next step in the collaboration between science and technology, private companies and government, for the purpose of bolstering Netherlands’ strength in innovation.

CEO Michel Peters said that, Netherlands holds a leading position internationally in the development and application of composite materials in the aviation industry.

“It is a proof that institutes for applied research, such as NLR, can bolster the innovative strength of Dutch industry and SMEs and do this together with government and industry,” he too added. (AR)

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