Automation in composite manufacturing

Technological developments are set to change the way aircraft are made.

At the heart of the movement toward a new way of making aircraft is the rapid momentum building up in replacing conventional structures with composite materials. But it goes way beyond the replacement of metal parts with composite parts.

Both civil and military customers demand a reduced timescale for the implementation of change. They increasingly see improved design incorporating new technologies as the only way of getting better value and reducing the costs of acquisition as well as operations and support. Combined with a desire for manufacturers to better manage personnel numbers through the ups and downs in delivery flows, increased automation allows tighter quality control and greater tasking efficiency.