Aviation: Solvay/Spirit to collaborate on composites R&D for aircraft; Solvay/Ascendance Flight/Airborne to develop solutions for sustainable aviation

Chemical firm Solvay and Spirit AeroSystems (Europe) Limited have tied up with Solvay becoming a strategic partner of Spirit’s Aerospace Innovation Centre (AIC) in Prestwick, Scotland. The AIC facilitates collaborative research into sustainable aircraft technologies and processes with Spirit’s industrial, academic and supply-chain partners. Both companies intend to further engage on composite development opportunities to meet the performance, cost and production-rate requirements of future aircraft.

The collaborators aim to develop advanced manufacturing concepts and secure a step change in composite fabrication, automation and assembly technologies to de-risk and shorten the development cycle. They will also explore further strategic alignment on future innovation.

“Solvay’s expertise in product development, combined with our own capabilities in advanced manufacturing and aerospace design, will allow us to create new technologies and processes that will push the industry forward,” said Jahan Ali, Director of Research and Technology, Europe at Spirit AeroSystems.

Meanwhile in related news, Solvay has also tied up with Ascendance Flight Technologies, a pioneering aviation start-up located in Toulouse, France. This agreement will see Solvay, Ascendance Flight Technologies and Airborne collaborate on sustainable aviation solutions.

Ascendance Flight Technologies is known for its groundbreaking work in developing next-generation sustainable aviation platforms, such as the company’s ATEA hybrid electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and Sterna hybrid electric propulsion technology.

Airborne is a leader in the industrialisation of composites and is unique in the way they combine digital automation systems as well as aerospace-qualified manufacturing services.

Solvay’s role under the collaboration agreement is targeted at delivering significant breakthrough solutions through close collaboration in these key areas:

Airborne CTO Marcus Kremers comments “This partnership highlights the composite industry’s need to bring design, materials and processing expertise together at an early stage. Too often, the initial focus is on prototyping, and only later are the right materials, processes and automation defined which unfortunately impacts the development stage. Here we are ensuring that all aspects are taken into consideration from the start, setting us up for success.”

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