Cytec Industries Inc. announced that its Engineered Materials business was honored as part of an aerospace industry team receiving the 2011 Defense Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Achievement Award from the US Department of Defense (DoD). The award was presented at the recent Defense Manufacturing Conference in Anaheim, California and recognized the team for optimizing automated fiber placement (AFP) of bismaleimide (BMI) composite materials used in manufacture of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Award is sponsored annually by the Joint Defense ManTech Panel (JDMTP). It recognizes and honors outstanding technical accomplishments that further the DoD ManTech Program vision to “realize a responsive world-class manufacturing capability to affordably meet Warfighters’ needs throughout the defense system life cycle.” The award was presented by Mr. Brett Lambert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy. Recipients are selected based on the importance, ease of implementation and potential benefit of their manufacturing technology achievement.
Cytec was recognized with Lockheed Martin Aerospace, Hitco Carbon Composites, and MAG IAS for process optimization throughout the entire F-35 wing skin and nacelle manufacturing process, including raw material manufacturing, AFP machine design and component manufacturing. Working with South Carolina Research Authority’s (SCRA) Applied Research and Development division, the team developed critical process improvements that demonstrated rate improvements of 50%.
Cytec worked with the team to optimize CYCOM 5250-4, its BMI/carbon prepreg material, for tack, drape-ability, slit edge cleanliness and fiber impregnation. This, combined with improvements to AFP equipment and manufacturing processes, resulted in increased fiber lay down rates and significant reduction of part cycle time reducing aircraft production costs and the need for additional non-recurring costs in machinery and tooling.
“This project represents Cytec’s standing commitment, as the sole supplier of composite materials for fracture critical components to the F-35 Program, to on-site technical service and support for our products and significant investments in continuous improvements,” stated Mike Gerick, Aerospace Segment Director at Cytec Engineered Materials. “Cytec would not have been successful in incorporating identified product improvements without the open relationships, out-of-the-box thinking and data sharing demonstrated by all participating companies.”