AEROSPACE PROCESS (JOINT WINNERS)

MOULD-LESS MONOCOQUE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

M. Torres Diseños Industriales SAU (Spain)

This project showcases a new manufacturing process for large monocoque composite structures with fully-integrated reinforcements and without the need for complete moulds.

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M Torres developed the new process for large composite structures with fully-integrated reinforcements in a final single part. The process introduces a new mould-less approach, where elementary composite components are prefabricated and joined together to create an initial structure geometry that acts as a mould for the external structural skin.

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The initial structure then remains inside the final product as an additional structural component. This allows for a co-curing process for both the skin and the initial components, creating a single final structure. Initially focused on the manufacturing of fuselages, the process offers relevant weight savings for the final structure due to:

• The elimination of fasteners inside the structure;

• More flexible geometry and reinforcements configuration;

• A critical reduction in the manufacturing costs, suppressing most of the assembly tooling needed for such a structure.

Finally, an out-of-autoclave manufacturing process was chosen for all the components used: an infusion-based production that avoids the need for autoclave curing while using internally-developed low-cost dry carbon fibre tows for the automated fibre placement process, even further increasing the cost reductions for the global component.