Archived Aerospace Sector News - 2011

Editors - please refer to the Notes to Editors for background information on Umeco plc and its operating divisions.

ACG Achieves a ‘First in the World’ with Nadcap Approval

ACG Focuses on Aerospace, Rail and Tooling Applications at the 2011 China Composites Expo

ACG’s MTM®45-1 Prepreg used in Antarctic Ice Sheet Mapping Mission

Advanced Composites Group Ltd. Exhibits at the 2011 Paris Air Show

Advanced Composites Group Inc. Secures U.S. Navy Contract

VN Composites Achieves Further Weight Reductions for Thales Alenia Space Using ACG Prepregs

Advanced Composites Group Inc, Receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award

Umeco Composites Structural Materials Companies Exhibit at Aircraft Interiors Expo Hamburg 2011

LISA Airplanes’ AKOYA Aircraft uses ACG’s VTM® Series Prepregs

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Aerospace

12th September 2011

ACG Achieves a ‘First in the World’ with Nadcap Approval

Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG), part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) – a Division of Umeco plc, is the first company in the world to go through a pilot audit and be granted Nadcap approval for composite prepreg manufacture to AC 7124 and AC 7122R.

This accreditation follows the company’s achievement to be the first prepreg material supplier to attain ISO/TS16949 certification for its business activities in the automotive industry, and underpins its commitment to manufacture and deliver high quality products to demanding standards.

The Nadcap accreditation, gained through support from Airbus and BAe Systems, enhances the company’s existing AS9100 aerospace certification and further underlines its reputation for high quality products for the aerospace industry. ACG is also certificated for general operations activities to ISO 9001.

ACG manufactures polymer prepregs and composite tooling to very high standards, often exceeding market requirements. ACG puts a very strong emphasis on quality assurance, something which is considered as crucial to meeting customer’s needs in the company’s key markets. ACG’s approach to Total Quality Management is fundamental to the company’s continued success.

Jon Stowell, ACG Sales and Marketing Director, said:
“Our existing Aerospace certification already testified of the quality of our products. Attaining Nadcap certification further demonstrates that ACG’s composites prepreg manufacturing process and products are of a very high standard and showcase best practice in the industry. This embeds ACG as a key player in the Aerospace supply chain.”

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For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Ltd.

• Dr. Jon Stowell – Sales and Marketing Director
Telephone: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: jstowell @ acg.co.uk

• Xavier Gambert – Aerospace Sector Manager
Telephone:
Direct: +33 478536649
or ACG: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: xgambert @ acg.co.uk

23rd August 2011

ACG Focuses on Aerospace, Rail and Tooling Applications at the 2011 China Composites Expo

Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG), part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) – a division of Umeco plc, will be exhibiting with sister company Richmond Aerovac and partner company Shanghai Leadgo-Tech Ltd. on Stand 8334-8443 at the World Expo Theme Pavilion in Shanghai from the 7th to 9th September 2011.

ACG’s focus will be on the application of its advanced composites technologies across aerospace and rail applications, particularly its medium temperature moulding (MTM®) phenolic and epoxy resin prepreg systems. Associated tooling materials for both market sectors will also be on display.

For structural applications in the aerospace sector, ACG will display a range of ACG’s industry-leading Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) technology. ACGs MTM44-1 OoA processing prepregs have been evaluated by Airbus, Dassault Aviation, GKN and other major OEMs during development programs aimed at defining the design and technologies for low cost aircraft structures. This has led to the adoption of MTM44-1 for the manufacture of wing panels on the Airbus A350 XWB jetliner, marking the first use of OoA processing in a commercial aircraft structure. Manufacture is presently at the ramp up stage and full production is expected to begin in late 2011.

Supported by FAA Public ‘A’ and ‘B’ basis databases, MTM45-1 and MTM46 are widely used for the manufacture of structural components in military aircraft, UAV’s and general aviation. MTM47, ACG’s latest OoA prepreg development, offers enhanced compression performance comparable with 180°C autoclave systems, combined with excellent hot/wet open-hole compression behaviour.

For interior applications in the rail and aerospace sectors, ACG’s phenolic and epoxy prepregs, which are available on a wide range of carbon and glass fibre materials, are suitable for both monolithic and sandwich structures. Offering extremely low fire propagation and surface spread of flame, combined with low smoke and toxic gas emission, these prepregs match the stringent requirements of aerospace standards FAR25.853 and ABD0031, and numerous British, French and German standards set by the rail sector.

ACG’s representatives will be available to discuss a comprehensive range of lightweight, high quality, robust tooling solutions specifically developed for the aerospace and rail industries. Focusing on its customers’ needs, ACG has developed true Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) vacuum-only curing tooling prepregs that provide pit-free surface profiles and autoclave quality tool skin laminates with high end use temperatures and extended tooling life. Tooling designed and manufactured by ACG and its approved partners has a reputation of withstanding repeated process cycling. In addition to manufacturing composite materials, ACG offers a complete technology transfer and support package encompassing tooling design philosophy, and pattern and tooling construction.

ACG is a prominent global provider of optimised structural and tooling composites solutions to the automotive, aerospace, rail, marine, space, motorsport, defence, and alternative energy markets, and offers unparalleled world-wide technical support.

Images: Bigstock.com

- Ends -

For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Ltd

Xavier Gambert – Aerospace Market Sector Manager
E-mail: xgambert @ acg.co.uk
Richard Horn – Rail Transport Market Sector Manager
E-mail: rhorn @ acg.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1773 766200

20th June 2011

ACG’s MTM®45-1 Prepreg used in Antarctic Ice Sheet Mapping Mission

MTM®45-1 prepreg material from Advanced Composites Group (ACG), part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) - a Division of Umeco plc, have been used in an exciting project by Kansas University’s school of Aerospace Engineering (KUAE) to build a fleet of Meridian unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) destined to monitor the flow of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

KUAE selected ACG’s MTM45-1 for the Meridian’s wings, empennage and fuselage structure because its combination of properties makes it ideal for the out-of-autoclave (OoA) production of aircraft primary structures. Indeed, MTM45-1 has a flexible curing temperature, high performance and toughened epoxy matrix system optimised for low pressure vacuum bag processing.

MTM45-1 may be cured at temperatures as low as 80°C (176°F), allowing the use of low cost tooling for prototypes and short production runs. OoA process cost savings for aircraft manufacturers can equally be applied to other less critical structures such as fairings, which are normally produced via autoclave curing. MTM45-1 can also be autoclave cured, meaning that it can be used for more critical structures.

A flame-retarded variant of MTM45-1 (MTM45-1FR) is also available and has been shown to meet the requirements of FAR 25.853.

Under a 5-year, $19 million research grant from the National Science Foundation to Kansas University’s Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), KUAE's mission was to provide an aerial platform for ultra-sensitive ice-penetrating radar developed in Kansas University’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department. Information on the morphology of the ice, especially the condition of the ice where it meets bedrock, is being derived from radar data, which is improving glaciologist’s predictions of the flow of ice sheets into the oceans.

The Meridian UAV, developed by a team of current and former students under the guidance of faculty members, including Rick Hale, Shah Keshmiri, Mark Ewing, Dave Downing, Ray Taghavi and Richard Colgren, will operate in Greenland between July and August 2011 and then in Antarctica between December 2011 and January 2012.

Images courtesy and copyright of KUAE flight test team:

• Upper image: Meridian unmanned air vehicle (UAV) in flight
• Lower image: Members of the KUAE flight test team

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For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Inc

Jeff Cross - Business Development Manager
E-mail: jcross @ acg-us.com
Telephone: +1 512-492-2040

3rd June 2011

Advanced Composites Group Ltd. Exhibits at the 2011 Paris Air Show

Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG), a member of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) – a Division of Umeco plc, will be exhibiting on Pod 18 on the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) stand (G158 in Hall 2B) at the 49th International Paris Air Show - Le Bourget, Paris, France, between the 20th and 26th June 2011.

ACG will feature its industry-leading Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) technology for aerospace structures at the Show.

MTM44-1 prepreg will now be used for the manufacture of wing panels on the Airbus A350 XWB jetliner, marking the first use of OoA processing in a commercial aircraft structure. Manufacture is presently at the ramp up stage and full production is expected to begin in late 2011. MTM44-1 was extensively used in the EU funded ‘ALCAS’ (Advanced Low Cost Aircraft Structures) program. Led by Airbus and Dassault Aviation, this programme was aimed at defining the design and technologies for low cost aircraft structures.

Supported by FAA Public ‘A’ and ‘B’ basis databases, MTM45-1 and MTM46 are widely used for the manufacture of structural components in military aircraft, UAV’s and general aviation. MTM47, ACG’s latest OoA prepreg development, offers enhanced compression performance comparable with 180°C autoclave systems, combined with excellent hot/wet open-hole compression behaviour.

For aircraft interiors, ACG manufactures a range of phenolic prepreg materials qualified to Airbus specifications and to major OEM standards.

For space applications, ACG manufactures low moisture pick-up, low outgassing, non-ITAR listed prepregs which effortlessly meet the limits required by NASA.

The Group’s full range of epoxy, phenolic, cyanate ester and bismaleimide (BMI) prepregs can be supplied in a number of different formats and fibre reinforcements, such as carbon, Aramid, E, R and S-glass.

- Ends -

For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Ltd.

• Dr. Jon Stowell – Sales and Marketing Director
Telephone: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: jstowell @ acg.co.uk

• Xavier Gambert – Aerospace Sector Manager
Telephone:
Direct: +33 478536649
or ACG: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: xgambert @ acg.co.uk

JD Lincoln Inc

Clint Refsnyder - Vice President Sales & Marketing
Telephone: +1 (949) 650 8106
E-mail: c.refsnyder @ jdlincoln.com
Website: www.jdlincoln.com

Additional Notes to Editors

JD Lincoln (part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials [UCSM]) - speciality materials and technology company that manufactures high performance adhesives and composite materials for aerospace, marine, medical, sporting, automotive and other extreme environment applications. JD Lincoln's products are technologically advanced including those designed specifically for aircraft interior applications. They are complementary to the other activities of Umeco Composites. Offices are located in Costa Mesa, CA and Adelanto, CA where we produced materials for over 350 customers worldwide.

13th May 2011

Advanced Composites Group Inc. Secures U.S. Navy Contract

Advanced Composites Group Inc., Tulsa - Oklahoma, a member of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) - a division of Umeco plc, has been awarded $1.967 million from the United States Navy for research and development efforts in support of its Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) processable materials and technology.

Advanced Composite Group’s OoA program “Lightweight Composite Structures phase 3” continues the work of previous programs to increase the technology readiness level of a number of OoA capable prepreg materials, including the MTM®45-1 and MTM®47 systems, to permit deployment on military and other air and space vehicles.

The contract will be administered through Naval Air Systems Command Patuxent River and will support advanced fiber placement, process development, the manufacture of demonstrator parts and design database generation.

– Ends –

For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Inc.

Ed Mahoney - National Sales Manager
Telephone: +1 918 252 3922,
E-mail: emahoney @ acg-us.com

14th April 2011

VN Composites Achieves Further Weight Reductions for Thales Alenia Space Using ACG Prepregs

Prepreg material from Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG), a member of Umeco Composites Structural Materials – a Division of Umeco plc, is being used by VN Composites to manufacture composite connectors for a Thales Alenia Space satellite application.

As part of a continuous programme of development, and increased composite materials uptake, Thales Alenia Space recently replaced metallic rod connectors to further reduce the structural weight of a satellite, thereby allowing an increased payload for the same launch weight.

VN Composites, a member the Mont Blanc Technologies Group, specialises in the development and manufacture of composite components for demanding applications. VN Composites developed a special short fibre compression moulding process (CMC®) for the manufacture of these connectors, and have adapted ACG’s MTM®46 prepreg materials for their production method.

MTM46 is just one of a range of prepregs which ACG offers for space and aerospace applications. MTM46 is a toughened structural epoxy prepreg system offering flexible, cost-effective processing via press, oven/vacuum bag moulding or autoclave. MTM46 offers a Tg capability up to 180°C and meets NASA outgassing requirements.

MTM46 is also an ideal candidate material for the low cost production of primary and secondary structures in FAR23 aircraft and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), and it is also suitable for secondary structure in civil aircraft and helicopters.

VN Composites connectors are now qualified on two Thales Alenia Space telecom satellites.

- Ends -

For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Ltd.

Xavier Gambert – Aerospace Sector Manager
Telephone:
Direct: +33 478536649
or ACG: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: xgambert @ acg.co.uk

1st April 2011

Advanced Composites Group Inc, Receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award

Advanced Composites Group Inc., a member of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) North America - a division of Umeco plc, recently received the 2010 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance.

ACG Inc. maintained a silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period from October. 1st, 2009 to September 30th, 2010.

– Ends –

For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Inc.: Ed Mahoney - National Sales Manager
Telephone: +1 918 252 3922,
E-mail: emahoney @ acg-us.com

18th March 2011

Umeco Composites Structural Materials Companies Exhibit at Aircraft Interiors Expo Hamburg

Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) companies Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG) and JD Lincoln will be exhibiting their prepreg materials on the UCSM stand (5G10) at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in the Hamburg Messe, Germany, between the 5th and 7th April 2011.

UCSM companies offer a wide range of prepreg materials, including phenolic, epoxy, cyanate ester and bismaleimide (BMI) resin systems supplied in a range of format and fibre options approved to Airbus and Boeing standards.

The collective range of aircraft interior prepreg materials available from UCSM companies combine exceptional strength-to-weight performance with critical fire characteristics such as low heat release, and smoke and toxic gas emission, meeting the requirements of FAA FAR25.853 and Airbus ABD0031 directive.

UCSM prepregs are used extensively throughout aircraft structures in all areas where high mechanical performance and fire resistance are paramount. Phenolic prepregs are typically used in passenger cabin interior wall and ceiling panels, partitions and flooring and modular fixtures such as lavatories, galleys, wardrobes and overhead luggage bins. Epoxy, cyanate ester and bismaleimides are used in applications where the highest mechanical performance is demanded, and where fire performance remains critical, such as in seat outer shells, ducting and cargo liners.

From prepreg manufacturing facilities in the UK and the USA, UCSM can service the aerospace market by delivering custom products to short lead times. These manufacturing facilities are supported by a global network of dedicated sales and support agencies.

Image copyright Bigstock.com

– Ends –

For further information, please contact

Advanced Composites Group Ltd.

Xavier Gambert – Aerospace Sector Manager
Telephone:
Direct: +33 478536649
or ACG: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: xgambert @ acg.co.uk

JD Lincoln Inc.

Clint Refsnyder - Vice President Sales & Marketing
Telephone: +1 (949) 650 8106
E-mail: c.refsnyder @ jdlincoln.com
Website: www.jdlincoln.com

Additional Notes to Editors

JD Lincoln (part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials [UCSM]) - speciality materials and technology company that manufactures high performance adhesives and composite materials for aerospace, marine, medical, sporting, automotive and other extreme environment applications. JD Lincoln's products are technologically advanced including those designed specifically for aircraft interior applications. They are complementary to the other activities of Umeco Composites. Offices are located in Costa Mesa, CA and Adelanto, CA where we produced materials for over 350 customers worldwide.

4th January 2011

LISA Airplanes’ AKOYA Aircraft uses ACG’s VTM® Series Prepregs

VTM®260 Series prepreg materials and a range of complementary products from Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG), part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) – a Division of Umeco plc, are being used by French Aircraft manufacturer LISA Airplanes to manufacture the wings, fuselage and a multitude of smaller lightweight composite components for their two-seater, single engine AKOYA pleasure/business plane.

State-of-the-art technology has merged with significant aerodynamic research and design, and ACG’s prepregs to produce the AKOYA, an aircraft that consumes a meagre 5litres of fuel per 100km, meaning that LISA Airplanes has achieved one of its prime objectives - to combine economy with performance.

LISA Airplanes’ innovations are a major asset to operators who provide pleasure flights and business trips. In addition to the essential prerequisites of economy with performance, the AKOYA is equipped with the multi-access technology that enables it to land on water, ground and snow with the same ease and without prior modification. ULM (Ultra Light Motorised) licensed pilots enjoy the flexibility of this facility and the broad possibilities of travel that it gives.

Measuring 6.9m (22.6ft) long, and having a wingspan of 11m (36ft), the AKOYA can be readily stored in a garage; a unique design characteristic permits the wings to be folded backwards to give a total width of only 3.2m (10.5ft).

ACG’s VTM260 epoxy resin prepregs series, which can be used for both component and tooling applications, are an established generation of long out life, flexible cure temperature formulations that can be applied to a wide range of reinforcements, and adapted to a variety of low cost vacuum-bag composite processes. This series offers extended out life up to 30 days, an essential characteristic for large-scale projects such as the AKOYA plane.

Image: Courtesy LISA Airplanes / Credit Courchevel Tourisme / Jérome Kélagopian

- Ends -

For further information, please contact:

Advanced Composites Group Ltd.

• Claire Ward – Sales Account Manager - France
Telephone: +33 963 031 381
E-mail: cward @ acg.co.uk

• Dr. Jon Stowell – Sales and Marketing Director
Telephone: +44 (0)1773 766200
E-mail: jstowell @ acg.co.uk

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Other News	2010	2009	2008	2007	Older
Aerospace