Leading aerospace engineers met at Schönhagen airfield in October 2021 for the conference “(Metal) Lightweight Construction Meets Aerospace”. In addition to numerous top-class speakers, I was also invited as a presenter – which immediately raises the question: Why actually? It’s about lightweight metal construction and not composites. The clear distinction between lightweight metal construction and …

(Metal) Lightweight Construction meets Aerospace Read More »

Mould making for composite components is a fundamental field that is absolutely crucial for the success of projects. In mould making, problems are solved before they arise – or, on the contrary, numerous problems arise that show up in later production phases and often cost the company dearly. In the case I would like to …

Mould making for composites: Difficulties solved systematically Read More »

It happens again and again that composite components in series production have to be reworked manually. In this case, it was a question of recesses in the core material for inserts for the subsequent screw connection of the components. Unfortunately, depending on the shape of the inserts, this cannot always be done during the layer …

Avoidance of errors with manual rework processed Read More »

One customer repeatedly experienced an increase in scrap during the production of components made of composite materials. The causes were bulges, displacements and gaps in the core material (see figure above). (The visible small wrinkles are not the subject of this article, I have already dealt with these in an earlier blog post on the …

Faulty curvature and displacement of the core material in composite materials Read More »

Even if we are talking about the backs or B-sides of components – in many cases the optical demands are still high in practice. Difficulties are often caused by the development. The illustrated component was designed on CAD and there it had a perfect back side (Class A Surface) in the 3D model. Thickness tolerances …

Why the precise cutting of the peel ply is so crucial for a successful component back Read More »

Do you know it? There are problems in production and the different departments involved, such as production, quality and development, are not getting the issue solved. In addition to the personal distance of the people involved, there is often also the physical distance. The consequence: responsibility is passed on in the circle of departments. I …

The different ways of thinking of departments when it comes to technical problems and solutions Read More »

If you want to bring a composite component to series production, some problems can arise. A good example of this is a component with Nomex® Honeycomb as core material, which is produced using autoclave technology. Nomex® Honeycomb is a wonderful core material with many advantages, but like all composite materials and processes, it requires practical …

Successful development of series components in composite Read More »

A topic that I encounter again and again in my consulting work is the development of composite components and their subsequent production in series. Already during development, the course is set for possible problems in production, which then result in expensive reworking or rejects. An example is shown in the picture above: In this component, …

Avoidance of problems in the development and production of series components in composite Read More »

A component with visible carbon optics had an optical problem due to unsightly distortion of the fabric. As a result, the fibre flow did not meet the customer’s high aesthetic requirements for a visible carbon surface. The task was to optimize the component and get it approved by the OEM. This was done in close …

Carbon Composite Optimization: Example of a quality improvement of visible carbon components Read More »