JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #45 - November/December 2008 - 9

in partnership with JEC Composites E-letter First Airbus final assembly line outside Europe inaugurated in China On September 28, 2008, Airbus officially opened its first final assembly line outside Europe. The line is a joint venture between Airbus and a Chinese consortium comprising Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ) and China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). measuring the weight of fibreglass materials before and after impregnation. This process provides feedback to a sophisticated computer system which adjusts resin add-on during processing. The total weight of the products can be controlled to a precision of 1 g/m². The line produces prepregs up to 130 cm wide in either polyester or vinylester UVcurable resin systems. The availability of pre-impregnated fibreglass is a first for the Australian composites industry. www.auscomposites.com.au the acquisition of a majority interest by Daher in EADS Socata, EADS has announced that the Central Councils and Works Councils of the three entities have all voted in favour of the acquisition, as unveiled on October 9, 2008. These exclusive negotiations should soon be finalized. Establishing links between Daher and EADS Socata should lead to the creation of a major player in aerostructures, business aviation and services. This should also give rise to the development of joint projects in these three areas, particularly on the A350 for which Socata will be a tier-one partner. This move is also in line with Daher’s strategic plan, Ambition 2012, which seeks to position Daher as a tier-one equipment manufacturer in four sectors (aeronautics, defence, nuclear and automotive) via its three business lines (industrial production, service and transport). www.eads.com The final assembly line in Tianjin, China (FALC) is based on the latest state-ofthe-art single aisle final assembly line operated by Airbus in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft will be assembled and delivered in China to the same standards as those assembled and delivered in Europe. The first aircraft assembled in the FALC will be delivered to Sichuan Airlines through Dragon Aviation Leasing in mid2009. The FALC will ramp up production to four aircraft a month by 2011. www.eads.com Joint venture between Quadrant Plastic Composites and Blechformwerke Bernsbach form Quadrant Metal Plastic Solutions GmbH (QMPS GmbH) is a new joint venture company between Quadrant Plastic Composites and Blechformwerke Bernsbach AG (Germany). Founded in April 2008 and headquartered in Hainichen near Chemnitz, Germany, the company focuses on the development of lightweight components, primarily for the automotive industry. Their products are based on long fibre-reinforced plastic composites and other metal-plastic hybrid technologies. The joint venture draws from the combined know-how of the partner companies: Quadrant Plastic Composites (with a 51% share in the joint venture) is a worldwide leader in thermoplastic composites and material development, while Blechformwerke Bernsbach (49%) specializes in sheet metal sub-assemblies and components for the automotive industry. www.quadrantplastics.com Bombardier to handle Learjet 85 structures Bombardier Aerospace announced on September 18, 2008 that it is assuming complete responsibility for the detail design and manufacturing of all primary and secondary structures for the all-new Bombardier Learjet 85 midsize business jet. Learjet has terminated its development agreement with Grob Aerospace AG of Switzerland. Australian Composites invests US$3.1 million in new prepreg manufacturing line Composites manufacturer Australian Composites Pty Ltd (Moorabbin, Victoria) announced on September 15, 2008 that it has expanded its operations significantly by investing A$3.4 million (US$3.1 million) in a brand new prepreg manufacturing line designed to mass produce its range of UV-curable resinimpregnated fibreglass materials which fully cure with light in a matter of minutes in a revolutionary out-ofautoclave technique. The recently-commissioned, fullyautomated and computerized impregnation line is approximately 15 metres long and possesses an array of state-of-the-art technologies, including dual atomic beta ray gauges for precisely Daher-Socata association plan As part of the exclusive negotiations held between the Daher group and EADS for The new Learjet 85 aircraft flight deck combines advanced technology (especially with a composite structure) with superior design elements for a cockpit environment unlike any other midsize jet. www.bombardier.com No45 November-December 2008 / jec composites magazine

http://www.auscomposites.com.au http://www.eads.com http://www.eads.com http://www.quadrantplastics.com http://www.bombardier.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #45 - November/December 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #45 - November/December 2008