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aerospace

Air taxi winners: Watch orders not investment, says IDTechEx

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Air taxi operators are unfazed by the 200 or so organizations designing vertical take-off electric aircraft. The IDTechEx report with the big picture is, Manned Electric Aircraft: Smart City and Regional 2021-2041.

Air taxi operators have placed large orders with a company that models itself on Tesla, entirely making born-electric, conventional take-off, fixed-wing aircraft.

Using extreme lightweighting, efficiency, and aerodynamics, Bye Aerospace has over $250 million of orders for two and four-seaters from air taxi operators and flying schools. It spent only $24 million to have certifiable demonstrators aloft.

Bye is so inundated with orders it has just doubled its prices because the aircraft still cost far less per mile than the polluting traditional equivalents. In the US, 11,000 of those are approaching 50 years old and illegality. Bye deliveries start from 2022. [Read more…] about Air taxi winners: Watch orders not investment, says IDTechEx

Hanwha Aerospace earns ’Supplier Gold’ certification from Pratt & Whitney

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Hanwha Aerospace has received a “Supplier Gold” certification from the one of the world’s top aircraft engine manufacturers, Pratt & Whitney (P&W).

The certification is the product of a partner evaluation program known as RTX Supplier Gold, which is run by P&W’s parent company, Raytheon Technology Corporation (RTX). It is awarded only to exceptional partners who have not missed deadlines or exhibited any quality control issues for 12 consecutive months, while exhibiting continuous improvements and satisfying customers.

Dongwan Yoo, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace USA, says: “We are pleased to see that our unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has been recognized. [Read more…] about Hanwha Aerospace earns ’Supplier Gold’ certification from Pratt & Whitney

Okuma unveils machining center that forms and finishes metal parts in ‘one setup’

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Okuma has unveiled a new machining center that it says can form and finishes large metal parts and components in one setup.

The company says its MCR-S double column machining center “combines cutting-edge technology and process improvements to reduce cycle time by 25 percent”.

Okuma is one of the largest manufacturers of CNC machine tools, and says its MCR-S roughs and finishes press dies in one setup and is designed for heavy duty machining of process-intensive press dies. [Read more…] about Okuma unveils machining center that forms and finishes metal parts in ‘one setup’

Rolls-Royce awards Hanwha Aerospace parts supplier certification

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Hanwha Aerospace has received the first Product Part Approval Process (PPAP) certification in the world from Rolls-Royce, one of the top three global aircraft engine manufacturers.

Established in 1884, Rolls-Royce is a UK-based aircraft engine manufacturer that, together with Pratt & Whitney and GE in the US, form the world’s top three engine makers.

The certification authorizes Hanwha Aerospace to perform PPAP inspections to verify that newly built aircraft engine parts meet requisite standards of quality. With the certification, Hanwha will also be able to approve the inspected engines for mass production. [Read more…] about Rolls-Royce awards Hanwha Aerospace parts supplier certification

AV&R and APN partner to develop robotics for aeronautical manufacturing

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AV&R and APN, two Quebec companies operating in the aerospace market, combine their expertise in a collaborative and innovative project.

This initiative is part of Mach Fab 4.0 (Aéro Montreal) and aims to develop technologies for the complete automation of high product mix deburring operations.

Manufacturers in the aerospace supply chain, despite the use of automation, still rely on the human touch in the manufacturing of aerospace parts. [Read more…] about AV&R and APN partner to develop robotics for aeronautical manufacturing

Honeywell to provide flight control technology for unmanned cargo plane

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Pipistrel has selected Honeywell’s Compact Fly-By-Wire system for the Nuuva V300 cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), choosing a modern, lightweight, highly capable system with a proven architecture ideally suited for their autonomous cargo UAV.

Fly-by-wire computers act as the “brains” of an aircraft’s flight controls by operating them electronically and can be found inside nearly all large fixed-wing aircraft today.

The compact version from Honeywell has features derived from decades of expertise in fly-by-wire systems for airliners, but it’s much smaller – roughly the size of a paperback book. [Read more…] about Honeywell to provide flight control technology for unmanned cargo plane

ATI Boeing Accelerator opens call for sustainability startups that support the future of the aerospace industry 

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ATI Boeing Accelerator has opened applications for its second cohort, to invest into sustainability-enabling startups that will benefit the UK aerospace industry across three key areas of focus: Industry 4.0, Lifecycle and Resilience, and Energy.

Launched last year, the accelerator was created in partnership by the Aerospace Technology Institute and Boeing, and is delivered by European accelerator Ignite. GKN Aerospace is a corporate sponsor and more partners will be announced in the upcoming months.

The first cohort has already raised a further £6M in funding, created 30 new jobs, and engaged further organisations outside of the programme partners, including Frazer-Nash, Chevron Technology Ventures and Rolls-Royce. [Read more…] about ATI Boeing Accelerator opens call for sustainability startups that support the future of the aerospace industry 

Electric jet startup Lilium to use carbon fibre from Toray

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Lilium, a German aerospace startup developing a small vertical-lift electric jet aircraft, and Toray Industries, a manufacturer of carbon fiber, have signed an agreement for the supply of “higher performance” carbon fiber composite.

The Lilium Jet is a five-seater, emissions-free aircraft that can take off and land vertically and is designed to provide high-speed regional connections of up to 300km in under 60 minutes.

The aircraft’s primary structures, such as the fuselage, wings and flaps will all be made from carbon fiber. [Read more…] about Electric jet startup Lilium to use carbon fibre from Toray

Airbus acquires MTM Robotics

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Airbus has acquired industrial automation company, MTM Robotics, for an undisclosed sum. MTM already partners with Airbus, supplying its robotic hole-drilling system, as reported by Robotics and Automation News previously.

The aerospace colossus says the move “deepens Airbus’ commitment to expanding advanced robotics capabilities within its manufacturing processes”.

The MTM business will retain its current leadership and 40-person staff, as well as its facility in Mukilteo, Washington, near Seattle. [Read more…] about Airbus acquires MTM Robotics

Hanwha to supply $300 million of aircraft engine components to GE

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Hanwha Aerospace has signed a $300 million contract to supply cutting-edge aircraft engine components to General Electric, the US conglomerate and one of the leading aircraft engine manufacturers in the world and a top supplier for Boeing.

Hanwha Aerospace will supply GE with 46 types of engine components for GE’s GE9X and LEAP engine.

The GE9X is GE’s most advanced engine and expected to enter commercial production in 2020 while the LEAP is the world’s best-selling aircraft engine. [Read more…] about Hanwha to supply $300 million of aircraft engine components to GE