WICHITA, Kan., Aug. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit
AeroSystems [NYSE: SPR] announced today it has leveraged advanced
composite technology from its Research and Development portfolio to
introduce new work at the company's U.K. facility. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited Spirit's site in
Prestwick, Ayrshire, to share
details of the new single-aisle spoiler work on the Airbus A320
family programs.
"We are pleased to utilize this innovative technology to not
only bring improved quality and savings to our customer but also to
secure new work for our U.K. facility," said Scott McLarty, vice president and general
manager of Spirit's U.K. and Malaysia facilities. "This is an opportunity
for us to leverage our technology, design, engineering and
manufacturing expertise to better support the needs of our
customers, and it strengthens our ability to secure future
work."
The Spirit-developed Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) solution
supports the high-volume production of spoilers and other
monolithic components and promises to deliver improved quality and
significant cost savings. Spirit will establish a world-class
manufacturing platform involving state-of-the-art automation and
robotics to meet its customer's rate demands, which are currently
at over 600 spoilers per month. The Scottish Government is
providing investment support to secure the project, which will
result in an increase in headcount at the facility.
The RTM design solution utilizes an innovative fabrication
process, enabled by material selection, that is custom designed to
meet the increasingly complex geometries required for advanced
composite structures. The process greatly increases design
certainty and structural integrity throughout the completed
component. This, in combination with a fully defined manufacturing
process and industrialization strategy, presents an alternative
solution to the current composite sandwich structure. Spirit and
Airbus have been collaborating on the research and development of
the new technology since 2014. The Aerospace Technology Institute,
a U.K. government aerospace research and development institute,
also provided a funding match to the effort.
The RTM solution offers non-crimp fabric skins and stiffeners
while maintaining existing product interfaces. It allows for
greater process control, reduced cycle time and lower energy
consumption. Spirit will also utilize Spirit Exact®, a suite of
technologies that allow parts to become tools, for assembly of the
RTM "closed cell" composite box. Spirit has completed RTM
technology demonstrations at its Advanced Technology Centre in
Prestwick and is scheduled to begin production of the single-aisle
spoilers with the new process in 2019.
Spirit AeroSystems is one of the largest manufacturers of
aerostructures in the world with design and build capabilities for
both commercial and defense customers. In addition to spoilers, the
company currently produces the A320 family leading and trailing
edge.
On the web: www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero
About Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both
commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the
U.S., U.K., France and
Malaysia. The company's core
products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components
for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses
on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum
manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More
information is available
at www.spiritaero.com.
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SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems