Composites Fly Lighter, Stronger: tape laying and fiber placement systems automate composite structure production and reduce costs

摘要

The challenge in the commercial aircraft business today is turning orders into deliveries and doing it with the most fuel-efficient airplanes possible. Orders for new airplanes in 2005 for Boeing Inc. (Chicago) and Airbus SAS (Toulouse, France), the two industry giants, were at record levels that will challenge the capacity of the global supply chain for the next decade. Combined aircraft orders for both companies in 2005 were records with a total of 2057 net new orders. Backlogs at Airbus alone swelled to 2177 airplanes valued at USD220.3 billion.