The global aviation industry has rapidly rebounded after the pandemic, driving the development of the aircraft industry. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global aviation composite materials market is estimated to be worth USD 29.1 billion in 2024, and it is expected to reach USD 52.1 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.3%. In the face of rapid delivery and net-zero emissions pressure, the aviation manufacturing industry is accelerating its shift from traditional aluminum alloys and thermoset composites to new-generation thermoplastic composites, which offer "lightweight, high production efficiency, and recyclability."
In the past, aircraft fuselages mainly used aluminum alloys and thermoset composites. While thermoset materials have excellent strength and thermal stability, they rely on autoclave equipment and require long curing times, which are not conducive to rapid delivery and mass production of large components. In contrast, thermoplastic composites can be rapidly molded by heating and can be welded quickly using advanced equipment like lasers or ultrasonics. This allows for the integration of large components, reducing assembly complexity and weight, while also offering recycling potential.
On January 13, 2025, the "Multi-Functional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD)" developed by the European Clean Sky 2 program won the "2025 JEC Composites Innovation Award" in the aerospace-components category at the JEC Exhibition in Paris. The MFFD is an 8-meter long and 4-meter diameter fuselage section produced by automating the assembly of two 180° shell structures, using thermoplastic CFRP materials, laser welding, and gap-filling techniques. Compared to the current method of assembling the cabin and cargo areas after fuselage mating, this approach allows for faster welding processing, high production rates, and significant advantages in production time. Boeing also showcased the thermoplastic composite wing flaps of its 777X aircraft, achieving wing integration using Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) technology and on-site curing processes, reducing the use of fasteners by 90%.
The thermoplastic carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRTP) fuselage skin developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Toray won the 2025 JEC Composites Innovation Award. Using the "local co-consolidation" method, the temperature distribution in the upper mold was controlled while the lower mold and thermoplastic CFRTP were moved to form the fuselage skin with longitudinal beams. This production process is faster, does not require large pressure machines, and can quickly produce high-quality, stable fuselage skins by curing multiple stringers onto the skin in a single process. These cases demonstrate the international aviation industry's keen attention to the accelerated adoption of thermoplastic technologies.
To help local material suppliers compete for global aerospace material transformation orders, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Industry Technology Division has promoted technology projects to develop thermoplastic aerospace composite materials. The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Taiwan Plastics Center are working on the development of carbon fiber material production and composite technology for thermoplastic composites. Specifically, ITRI’s Materials Research Laboratories has developed a "low-carbon carbon fiber manufacturing process" that uses microwaves generated by a modular homogeneous field to penetrate a porous ceramic furnace tube for carbon fiber heating and production. This technology can reduce carbon fiber production energy consumption by about 30% and shorten processing time, achieving both cost reduction and energy savings.
On the other hand, the Plastics Center has developed "high-temperature carbon fiber sizing technology" and "powder fluidization control technology." The former solves the issue of carbon fiber degradation under high-temperature processing while improving carbon fiber strength to T800 levels. The latter addresses the issue of insufficient composite material strength during thermoplastic aerospace composite processing, where the high viscosity of thermoplastic materials prevents penetration into carbon fiber pores.
Facing the global trend of transforming aerospace materials toward recyclable thermoplastic composites, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Industry Technology Division, through resources from corporate R&D projects, has developed carbon fiber material production and composite technology for thermoplastic aerospace composites. This breakthrough overcomes production bottlenecks and reduces manufacturing costs, helping domestic manufacturers enhance their products' international competitiveness.
Source: Economic Daily
Website: https://money.udn.com/money/story/5612/8868362
Disclaimer:
1.The articles compiled and published by this association on the Taiwan Net Zero Emissions Association's official website and in the Member Biweekly Report are for the purpose of introducing international environmental trends and for educational use only, not for profit.
2.Any legal responsibilities or losses resulting from the use or adaptation of articles translated by the association shall be borne solely by the user or adapter.
For more insights on net-zero emissions, feel free to subscribe to our biweekly newsletter:
https://www.tnzea.org.tw/eforms.php?lang=tw&tb=1
