Aircraft travels light with TEPEX PPS composite sheet
Canadian Plastics
An aircraft seating manufacturer cut the weight of its seats by 40 to 50 per cent after switching from aluminum to TEPEX composite sheets made from carbon fibre and Ticona's Forton polyphenylene sulfi...
An aircraft seating manufacturer cut the weight of its seats by 40 to 50 per cent after switching from aluminum to TEPEX composite sheets made from carbon fibre and Ticona’s Forton polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).
The TEPEX composite sheet was made by Bond-Laminates GmbH in Brilon, Germany.
The new TEPEX-made seating elements include the lumbar and thigh supports, armrest table covers and the shields for in-flight video-screens.
By using the TEPEX composite sheet, the weight of the lumbar support at the base of the rear portion of the seat dropped to 150 grams (g), down from 280 g with aluminum. An Airbus A380, which has 555 seats, could save 72 kg alone just with that component, Ticona said.
Bond-Laminates’ TEPEX sheets range in thickness from 0.2 millimetres (mm) up to 5 mm. As well, it has a low smoke index and a high limited oxygen index.
Ticona (Florence, Ken.)
www.ticona.com; 859-525-4740
