German-Chinese joint venture delivers landing gear to COMAC

Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) joint venture delivers first landing gear assembled in China for the ARJ21.

October 18, 2016

Delivery ceremony of the first ARJ21 landing gear assembled in China at Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) Co., Ltd., left to right: Fan Xiaolin, VP of Changsha Import/Export Inspection and Quarantine Bureau; Arndt Schoenemann, Managing Director, Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) Co. Ltd.; Josef Gropper, Managing Director & COO Production, Purchasing and Asset Investments of Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS; He Dongfeng, President of COMAC; Tang Yong, VP of State Technology and Industry for National Defence of Hunan Province; Pang Zhen, Director Civil Aircraft Industry Dept. of AVIC; and Li Ming, President of LAMC.

Toulouse, France – On Sept. 27, 2016, Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) Co. Ltd., the joint venture between the Chinese company LAMC (AVIC Landing Gear Advanced Manufacturing Corp.) and German-based Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, celebrated the delivery of its first ARJ21 main landing gear assembled in China to aircraft manufacturer COMAC.

The ARJ21 main landing gear assembly line at Liebherr LAMC Changsha was established by Liebherr by duplicating the assembly fixtures and testing equipment of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Lindenberg, Germany – Liebherr’s center of excellence for landing gear and flight control systems.

Arndt Schoenemann, chairman of the board of directors at Changsha stated: “The delivery of the first ARJ21 main landing gear assembled in China by Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) to COMAC represents a major milestone in the history of our joint venture, and we are very happy to contribute together our experience and know-how to the success of the ARJ21 program.”

The Liebherr LAMC Aviation joint venture will assemble the next ARJ21 main landing gears in Changsha, taking over step by step the direct procurement of the parts delivered by approved suppliers of Liebherr-Aerospace. In parallel, Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) will do local sourcing from LAMC and other companies for machining landing gear parts and will also prepare the assembly line for the ARJ21 nose landing gear.

Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg had been selected by COMAC to develop, manufacture, qualify, certify, and service the landing gear system including the braking system, wheels, and tires of the ARJ21.

Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg’s sister company, Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, also provides a major system on board the ARJ21, the integrated air management system.

Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) Co. Ltd. was established in 2012 to develop and manufacture landing gear systems for the Chinese aviation industry as well as the international aviation market.

Source: Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS

Airbus standardizes on Stratasys additive manufacturing solutions for A350 XWB

Aircraft manufacturer has standardized on ULTEM 9085 3D printing material for the production of flight parts.

October 17, 2016

Manufacturing Group

Materials

Left to right: Amos Liebermann, Director of Aerospace Strategic Accounts, EMEA, Stratasys; Olivier Cauquil, Head of Material & Parts Procurement, Airbus and Chairman of the Airbus Group Material Board; Andy Middleton, President, Stratasys EMEA; Mark Walker, VP Procurement Strategy and Governance, Airbus (Photo: Business Wire)

Minneapolis, Minnesota & Rehovot, Israel – Stratasys Ltd., the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, announces that leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus has standardized on its ULTEM 9085 3D printing material for the production of flight parts for its A350 XWB aircraft.

Stratasys’ ULTEM 9085 resin is certified to an Airbus material specification and is used in Stratasys’ fused deposition modelling (FDM)-based additive manufacturing solutions. By combining a high strength-to-weight ratio with flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) compliance for aircraft flight parts, ULTEM 9085 enables the production of strong, lighter weight parts while lowering manufacturing costs and production time.

“In 2014 Airbus produced a significant amount of parts on its Stratasys FDM-based 3D printers for use in new A350 XWB aircraft, enabling Airbus to meet delivery commitments on-time. We are pleased to support Airbus as they industrialize the inclusion of Stratasys 3D printed parts in the A350 XWB production supply chain, ensuring that suppliers will be able to support continued scheduled aircraft deliveries,” said Andy Middleton, president, Stratasys EMEA.

Additive manufacturing brings new levels of efficiency and flexibility to production supply chains by enabling parts to be produced on demand and at locations optimized for delivery to final assembly lines. It also significantly improves the buy-to-fly ratio as less material is wasted compared to conventional manufacturing methods.

“We see the demand for our additive manufacturing solutions coming from a variety of time-sensitive industries, including everything from aerospace and automotive to medical and consumer products,” Middleton added. “By adopting Stratasys additive manufacturing strategies in supply chain management, companies can not only protect time to market commitments but also increase product innovation while decreasing inventory requirements.”

Source: Stratasys Ltd.

CFM56 reaches record production rate as CFM delivers 30,000th engine

On track to produce nearly 1,700 engines in 2016; maintaining a 3,000 engine backlog.

October 17, 2016

Manufacturing Group

Engines/Motors

West Chester, Ohio – CFM International has now delivered the 30,000th CFM56 engine. The milestone engines, one each for Airbus and Boeing, were recently delivered to customers, including a CFM56-5B going to Delta Air Lines powering an Airbus A320ceo and a CFM56-7B engine to China Eastern Airlines for a Next-Generation Boeing 737-800.

Delta Air Lines actually launched the CFM56 engine into commercial service in 1982 and currently has more than 400 CFM56-powered aircraft in service or on order. China Eastern Airlines became a customer in 1994 and, today, is the largest CFM customer in China, operating more than 800 CFM56 engines.

“It is an historic year for the CFM56 program,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International. “As confident as our founding fathers were in this program, I don’t think even they could have foreseen the success this engine has enjoyed. At the heart of it all, though, is the continued confidence of Airbus and Boeing and all of our 550 customers around the world. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.”

Meanwhile, the company is making a smooth transition to LEAP engine production. CFM will produce around 100 LEAP engines in 2016, ramping up to more than 2,000 engines per year by 2020.

“We knew from day one that this would be an extraordinary ramp-up, and we have been preparing for it for a long time,” said Francois Bastin, CFM executive vice president. “The investment that GE and Safran have made, our dual-sources strategy, and the fact that we have kept critical technologies in house has put us on track to meet our production commitments to Airbus and Boeing.”

Prime examples of the investment include Safran’s 3D woven carbon fiber composite fan blades factories, as well as GE’s new LEAP final assembly and overhaul facility in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The two composite fan production facilities, one each in France and the U.S., have opened in the past two years and have already produced more than 4,600 fan blades for production engines. A third factory in Mexico will be in line in 2017. Each LEAP engine requires 18 fan blades and plans are in place to ramp up to more than 40,000 blades per year to support planned LEAP production levels.

The final assembly plant in Indiana came on line earlier this year and is currently assembling the first production LEAP-1B engines for the Boeing 737 MAX. The West Lafayette facility also does modular assembly of LEAP engine cores.

Source: CFM International

Canada investing $54 million in next-gen aircraft technologies

Funding up to $54M is being shared by a consortium of 15 companies and academic institutions across the country.

October 14, 2016

Manufacturing Group

Industry/Regulations

Montreal, Canada – Canadian companies will develop the next generation of aircraft technologies as a result of an investment of up to $54 million by the Government of Canada. The funding is being shared by a consortium of 15 companies and academic institutions from across the country. The consortium is led by Bombardier Inc., a Canadian aerospace and transportation company.

The funding, under the Technology Demonstration Program, was announced by the Hon. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development and the Hon. Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The consortium will develop state-of-the-art electric systems and advanced aerodynamic systems that will make aircraft of the future more energy efficient, reliable, and quieter. The innovations in aerospace design and engineering that result from this industry-led collaboration will strengthen the skills and knowledge of Canadians working in the aerospace sector. It will also lead to new advanced-manufacturing platforms that position them for the jobs of tomorrow.

The funding will support a critical stage of the research-and-development cycle in an export-driven sector that has an impressive track record of innovations. Canada's aerospace sector is a key contributor to the economy in manufacturing output. It also leads all other Canadian manufacturing industries in the amount of money invested in research and development.

"The Government of Canada is proud of the made-in-Canada innovations that have made our country's aerospace industry a global success. The innovations in aerospace design and engineering that result from this multi-partner collaboration will lead to next-generation aircraft with improved performance," said Bains.

"There are over 190 companies in Quebec responsible for more than half of the aerospace production and employment in Canada. The collaboration announced today, which includes 15 partners, will keep our aerospace industry a world leader in innovation," said Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for Saint-Laurent.

In addition to Bombardier, the companies that make up the consortium are Rolls-Royce, Thales, OPAL-RT, Quaternion Aerospace, FusiA, Liebherr, Axis, and Microturbo (Safran). Knowledge institutions collaborating on the project include the University of Victoria, McGill University, Polytechnique Montréal, University of Toronto, and Ryerson University.

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

German-Chinese joint venture delivers landing gear to COMAC

Airbus standardizes on Stratasys additive manufacturing solutions for A350 XWB

Boeing opens first St. Louis commercial airplanes facility

CFM56 reaches record production rate as CFM delivers 30,000th engine

Canada investing $54 million in next-gen aircraft technologies

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