Partner for the Aerospace Industry

Thermoplastics reduce the weight of aircraft

Lightweight and high-strength materials are indispensable for the #aerospace industry. For structural parts, mechanical components and aircraft interiors, metals and thermoset materials are increasingly being replaced by #thermoplastics solutions. Composites and other high-performance polymers from Ensinger enable a significant reduction in weight without compromising on mechanical properties.

#Aviation experts expect around 40,000 new aircraft to be delivered over the next twenty years. In order for passenger and cargo aircraft to meet the required sustainability criteria, they must become lighter. A reduction in weight and CO2 emissions can be achieved by substituting metals: Aluminum has a density of 2.7 g/cm3. Many high-performance #polymers do not even weigh half as much. Every kilogram counts when it comes to energy efficiency, which is a great opportunity for Ensinger's plastic solutions. The market is growing by five percent a year - and Ensinger's aerospace segment is growing even faster.

Supplier to renowned aircraft manufacturers

Ensinger is a long-standing partner of renowned OEMs and suppliers to the aerospace industry. As a full-service provider for plastics solutions, Ensinger relies on a fully integrated value chain. The Group operates four AS/EN 9100-certified machining plants in France, the UK, China and the USA. Ensinger belongs to the exclusive circle of plastics manufacturers on the Qualified Part List (QPL) of #Airbus, #Boeing and other well-known aircraft manufacturers.

This means that Ensinger meets the requirements for the supply of structural parts and other components made from engineering plastics.

In addition to composite materials, Ensinger supplies semi-finished products in the form of sheets, tubes and rods and manufactures injection-molded or sintered components. Additive manufacturing, further processing technologies and services as well as industry-specific consulting round off the range of services. Our cross-divisional and cross-location teams support customers from development through to the approved and authorized end product. With this expertise, Ensinger is one of the one-stop stores for technical solutions made from high-performance plastics.

System supplier for space missions

High-performance plastics from Ensinger have been proving their worth in international space missions for a long time. Examples include the Mercury #space probe "BepiColombo" and the #ESA satellite Sentinel-5P.

In space, the materials have to withstand extreme loads. Typical requirements include demonstrating high strength in the presence of strong vibrations, along with low outgassing in a vacuum and good radiation resistance.

TECASINT?8591: Self-lubricating material

This year, Ensinger launched a new high-performance plastic named TECASINT?8591 for tribological applications in the space industry. By using PTFE and adding special lubricants and fillers, the newly developed product will also demonstrate outstanding self-lubrication properties under the conditions found in space.

Weather, communication and earth observation satellites circle in low Earth orbit (LEO). The sensors, antennas and reflectors are unfolded as soon as the satellites have reached their orbit.

It must be ensured throughout their service life that the systems retain long-term functionality under the tough conditions encountered in space.

The mechanisms for unfolding these systems are equipped with appropriate ball or linear bearings. Friction along with wear and tear place high demands on these components. A particular challenge is, first and foremost, maintaining a constant ball bearing torque over the course of at least 20 million bearing revolutions.

Research findings show that TECASINT?8591 features a lower ball bearing torque compared with the competitor product. Undesired stick-slip effects do not occur.

Following analysis of the results, TECASINT?8591 was approved by ESA as an alternative to the current single-source material.

Those interested can find detailed information concerning the project on the ESA website: ??SLPMC2 - EU SELF LUBRICATING MATERIALS

Further information: ??Plastic solutions for the highest aerospace requirements

Please contact: ?? Bernd R?hm , Axel Reinheimer