The newly established Airborne Technology Center is partner in the TAPAS program, that aims to develop Thermoplastic Affordable Primary Aircraft Structures. This program is a collaboration between Dutch companies and technology institutes (Stork Fokker, Ten Cate Advanced Composites, Airborne, KVE Composite Group, Dutch Thermoplastic Components, Technobis, TU Delft, UTwente and NLR) and Airbus, to develop technologies for future aircraft structures in thermoplastic composites. The total budget for this research program is more than 13 million Euro. Funding has been requested from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The Airborne Technology Center will focus on automated production technologies, based on their proprietary in-situ consolidation process, to manufacture thermoplastic composite components. Fiber steering will be used to achieve optimal structural performance. The products can be either directly used as is, or as tailored blanks for subsequent process such as press-forming, co-consilidation and welding.
Thermoplastic composites have been used in the aviation industry for a while already, however very limited in primary load carrying aircraft structures. Thermoplastic composites are characterised by short cycle times, low production costs, better corrosion resistance, good possibilities for recycling and a higher toughness resulting in products of a lower weight. The application of these new generation aircraft materials in primary load carrying aircraft structures therefore makes aircraft lighter, stronger, safer, cheaper and more cost efficient.
Airbus has indicated that it sees the production and the use of thermoplastic composites as an important development for new aircraft programmes. Due to their advanced production and research methods, the Dutch companies and technology institutes can offer a major contribution to the realisation of this objective. This new research program is a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus which was established in 2005. On 20 April 2009, the contracts for this program where signed at the facilities of Airborne in The Hague.