HAMPTON, VA—NASA’s Langley Research Center has installed a huge six-axis robot that will be used to deposit epoxy and carbon fibers for making aerospace structures and parts.
ASHEVILLE, NC—GE Aviation celebrated the opening of its new advanced composites factory here. The new 170,000-square-foot facility will be the first in the world to mass-produce engine components made of advanced ceramic matrix composite materials.
Regardless of its size, an airplane part needs to be monolithic, with minimal dimensional variation. Such parts ensure better control of the aircraft’s final weight.
REDDITCH, UK—GKN Aerospace has begun a project that aims to automate the assembly of aircraft structures with the goal of creating high-quality wing structures 30 percent faster than is possible today.
EVERETT, WA—Boeing will build a new factory here to make wings for its 777X wide body jet, assuring more than a decade of work on advanced composite materials for thousands of Snohomish County workers. The facility will be adjacent to the final assembly line for the jet.