First Fuselage Sections To Be Cured Early In 2010

Premium Aerotec in Nordenham took delivery Monday of the 84 foot long, 24 foot high autoclave to be used for production of the forward fuselage sections for the new Airbus A350 XWB. It will be  installed in the A350 facility currently under construction, and the autoclave's first cure cycle is planned for early 2010. It is expected to be fully operational for production beginning in the spring of next year. Premium Aerotec is the largest aerostrucures supplier for the new Airbus A350 XWB. The company plans to invest some $515 million between 2009 and 2011 for the production infrastructures of this new aircraft.

Fuselage Autoclave

Beginning in 2010, the two side shells and the upper and lower shells will be manufactured in Nordenham for each forward fuselage section (section 13/14) of the new A350 family. These shells will then  be integrated into complete fuselage sections, including floor beams, also at Nordenham. The production of the highly complex light-weight fuselage demands state-of-the-art CFRP-technologies, both for the production of the carbon fiber reinforced skin using a fiber placement system as well as for curing in an autoclave.

The new fiber placement machine is expected to be set up in the first quarter of 2010. Another fiber placement system is already available at the Nordenham plant, and was used to produce the demonstrator fuselage shells for the Airbus A350 XWB. The new machines will be installed in the new, nearly 90 thousand square foot A350 production facility at Premium Aerotec's Nordenham plant.

Plant manager Helmut Farber is delighted with the arrival of the autoclave: "Today, we are Number One in the production of metal shells for Airbus. With the investment to be effected here in Nordenham over the next two years we are doing our utmost to attain a similar position in the area of carbon fiber production as well. The arrival of the autoclave is an important milestone in achieving this. And at the same time we rely not only in technology but first and foremost in our highly skilled and motivated workforce."

Airbus A350 Artist's Concept

Dieter Meiners, COO of Premium Aerotec, underlines: "This day sets the tone for our investment in the future, for our trust in our employees and for our goal of securing and strengthening our leading position in the aerostrucures business."

When the new autoclave, referred to as "The Colussus",  is moved into the facility,  it will have to be slowly maneuvered to the new location on a route that takes its size into account, from the Rhenus Midgard pier on the Weser across the entire length of the factory site and will reach its destination. After that, the work of assembling and installing the autoclave will continue until December.

FMI: www.airbus.com