Composite makers clinch aerospace deals

While Boeing and Airbus exhibited new planes incorporating weight-saving fiber-resin composites at the Paris Air Show last month, material suppliers at the venue signed deals advancing composite development and use. Solvay and GKN Aerospace’s Fokker unit agreed to work together to improve thermoplastic composite part manufacturing. The alliance links Fokker’s aerospace design expertise with Solvay’s composite materials know-how. Separately, composite materials maker Hexcel said it will supply the fuselage and main rotor blades for the new Airbus H160 helicopter.