The Austrian aerospace supplier FACC was able to successfully complete the development of new wing technologies in cooperation with Airbus. A sub-project has now been successfully completed with the development of an innovative landing flap.

"An important part of our innovation activity lies in the joint research work with leading international aircraft manufacturers", reports Robert Machtlinger, CEO of FACC AG. “Our development engineers research new technologies and products for new generations of aircraft. One of the flagship initiatives is the 'Wing of Tomorrow' program, which Airbus launched in 2018 in cooperation with FACC and other industrial partners. "

As part of the "Wing of Tomorrow" project, FACC is working on the development of innovative manufacturing processes that are used in the manufacture of three essential wing components: the wing box lower cover, the flap and the spoiler & Droop Panel). The aim is to produce complex components faster, easier and more cost-effectively. FACC was able to successfully complete the first sub-project - the cladding of the wing box - in the previous year. The prototype of a landing flap was recently completed in the second sub-project. FACC used the resin transfer molding process that had been used in projects earlier - but never of this scale and complexity.

Integral construction saves time and money

When developing the five-meter-long “Multicell Flap”, the focus was on exploring the technical possibilities. "Airbus is striving for a high degree of integration with the new generation of wings in order to reduce subsequent work steps as far as possible and accordingly become more cost-effective," says Patrick Petz, FACC Lead Program Engineer for Aerostructures Airbus. "For us, the integral design means that we can save ourselves the high installation effort afterwards and thus achieve a high degree of maturity of the manufacturing processes as well as high rates." Tool design in production is a highly innovative masterpiece. A multifunctional team from research & development, toolmaking and program management has been taking on the task for about a year and was able to present the first component to the customer Airbus recently. Robert Machtlinger on the successful completion of the project: “This is a real milestone in the research cooperation with Airbus. Together we have developed a completely new landing flap system. The wing component is highly integral - thanks to well thought-out solutions in terms of material, process and construction, we can offer Airbus affordable lightweight construction with a high level of suitability for series production. "