Hutchinson has just been awarded the JEC Innovation Award 2014 in the Design category for its carbon fiber cockpit modules, developed in collaboration with Airbus. Produced in a single operation, these modules are 30% to 45% lighter than the current metal-based solutions.
The JEC Innovation Award is the result of Hutchinson's composites' strategy, which has been developed since 2007. Today, the group has four sites, employing more than 700 personnel (two in France, one in Germany, and one in Canada), of which, the longest serving has 60 years of experience. The creation of the CTeC (Composite Technical Center) allows a very high standard of support in the design, development and qualification of systems or composite parts: complex structures, fluid distribution systems, smart panels with their supporting structures.
The CTeC is working on new manufacturing processes, with greatly reduced cycle times, such as injection in all its forms, stamping, thermoforming, and pultrusion or filament winding, in addition to new materials such as specific thermoplastic alloys. "We develop new processes particularly less labor intensive with reduced or even without hand lay-up" explains Bertrand Florentz, director of the CTeC. "Our advantage: our ability to integrate functions into our composites thanks to numerous proprietary qualified solutions and materials, such as the absorption or damping of sound and vibration, thermal insulation, electrical conductivity or resistivity."
Based in Châlette-sur-Loing, France, the CTeC is dedicated to the development of new composite products, materials and processes and, by the end of 2014, will employ 50 personnel.
Located next to the Hutchinson Research Center, the CTeC benefits of the whole group's expertise in all areas as acoustics, material characterization, mechanical vibration, and thermal protection, in addition to its computing capabilities.
Source: Hutchinson