Mubadala Investment Company owned Strata Manufacturing, the advanced composite aerostructures manufacturing facility delivered 100 shipsets of the assembled A350-900 Inboard Flaps (IBF) to the global aviation giant Airbus.
Strata Manufacturing has now assumed fabrication and assembly duties in partnership with Airbus after completing the full First Article Inspection for the fabrication of six IBF components at its facility in the Nibras Al Ain Aerospace Park, the firm said in a statement.
Strata will utilize it’s Hot Drape Forming (HDF) and computer-controlled robotic Automated Tape Layup (ATL) machines, which gained First Part Qualification and First Article Inspection design and quality verifications early this year to fully-automate the IBF manufacturing process.
“Strata is constantly looking to expand its technical manufacturing capabilities by investing in cutting-edge technologies and nurturing its employee’s abilities. This ensures better efficiencies and quality across our production lines and empowers us to advance within a highly-competitive global aerospace sector. In addition, we have successfully moved from assembling to fabricating IBF components.”
Mr. Abdulla added, “This is a testament of our capabilities and focuses to elevate our status as a sole supplier alongside Airbus of the wing part. Strata has also delivered 100 shipsets of the IBF assembled flaps to Airbus, such achievement is consistent with our focus on growing customers’ confidence in Strata’s capability to continuously deliver high-quality components in challenging timeframes and strengthens our position in the global aerospace industry.”
By strengthening the company’s automated manufacturing capabilities, “we aim to reinforce our ‘Made with Pride in the UAE’ seal of quality assurance and maintain our decade-long tradition of delivering on commitments and obligations to Airbus and other global OEM partners,” Mr. Abdulla continued.
As part of the manufacturing process, Strata’s HDF machine pre-forms carbon fiber components for aircraft parts and enables faster production of high-quality composite parts. Its infrared radiation heating system quickly and evenly softens carbon fiber, delivering accurate parts free from stress-wrinkling. Strata’s two ATL machines lay unidirectional prepreg materials onto a flatbed before being transferred to a mold for further processing. Its work envelope of 2.5 meters by 10 meters enables automated processing of large composite layups, eliminates the need for a separate ultrasonic cutting machine, and drastically reduces processing times.
53 percent of the A350-900 is built using light composite materials to reduce fuel consumption and operating costs, improve passenger comfort, and lower the environmental impact of air travel. Designed to increase the total lift capability of the wing of an aircraft, an IBF is mounted on the trailing edge of the wing to increase the wing’s surface during take-off and landing and improve stability during flight.
