What is urban air mobility?

Urban air mobility (UAM), sometimes called advanced air mobility (AAM), is an emerging aerospace market. These aircraft can be piloted or autonomous, designed for cargo transport or as air taxis for transporting people intercity or intracity. Source: Composites end markets: Aerospace

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are some of the first models to be developed for the urban air mobility market. They are powered by electric propulsion (generally batteries), and are designed to take off and land vertically. These can include propeller-centric, helicopter-style aircraft as well as fixed-wing aircraft.

How are composites being used in urban air mobility?

UAM aircraft are in various stages of development. Most, if not all, are using composites to some extent for aircraft bodies, wings or other components. The focus has been on technologies that are already qualified for commercial aircraft use – such as hand layup and autoclave cure of prepreg carbon fiber/epoxy. As progress continues, additional composite materials such as thermoplastic composites will likely become more widely used. Source: Composites end markets: Aerospace

URBAN AIR MOBILITY

Aerospace

Joby extends Agility Prime contract for eVTOL aircraft delivery

Joby’s contract with the U.S. Air Force is now valued at up to $131 million following a $55 million extension that includes provision of up to nine Joby aircraft, two of which will be delivered to Edwards Air Force Base.

Grace Nehls
Managing Editor, CompositesWorld

Urban Air Mobility

Orbital Composites licenses AMCM technology

Additive manufacturing compression molding (AMCM), co-developed with ORNL, combines robotic AM and continuous fiber technologies to revolutionize high-volume composites manufacturing.
#wingoftomorrow #space #continuousfiberAM

Urban Air Mobility

KBM Advanced Materials Develops GRCop-42 Powder Supply

RocketPowder was developed to meet the needs of the GRCop-42 supply chain.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Prepregs

NEXX Technologies NTB-500 BMI resin system provides OOA processing

Designed for use in high-temperature composite applications, the NTB-500 BMI resin system from NEXX Technologies is said to be available for use on all fabrics and unidirectional tapes.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Urban Air Mobility

ATC Manufacturing selected for NASA's HiCAM project

ATC will provide expertise in thermoplastic composites manufacturing to NASA’s Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Carbon fiber will enable air taxi eVTOLs

Aircraft and autos have indeed faced CFRP production woes, but new tech opens door for both.
#a350 #adhesives #peek

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Aerospace |

How Small Machine Shops Can Fight Supply Chain Problems

Supply chain disruptions are still presenting challenges in manufacturing. This article examines the effects on aerospace, automotive and medical industries. It also covers ways that machine shops can be successful securing work despite the challenges created by the supply chain.
#wingoftomorrow #space #medical

Videos / Podcasts

Wind/Energy

Airborne, Accudyne partner to provide automated composites solutions worldwide

April 18, 2023 - 12:00 PM EST

The two companies have signed an MOA to collaborate on further development of digital automation systems for composites manufacturing in aerospace, renewable energy, future mobility and more.
#automation #wingoftomorrow #space

Aerospace

Loop Technology develops robotic arm for wing box inspection

March 31, 2023 - 1:00 PM EST

Part of an R&D project with Spirit AeroSystems, the seven-axis Bravura robotic arm automates inspection and sealing within small spaces like aircraft wing boxes.
#ndi #automation #wingoftomorrow

Carbon Fibers

Markforged highlights Sidus Space 3D-printed composite satellite

March 29, 2023 - 11:00 AM EST

The two partners have spent the last four years working on LizzieSat, a partially 3D-printed satellite that is set to launch on the SpaceX Transporter-9 rocket in 2023.
#wingoftomorrow #space #continuousfiberAM

Urban Air Mobility

MFFD thermoplastic floor beams — OOA consolidation for next-gen TPC aerostructures

March 24, 2023 - 12:00 AM EST

GKN Fokker and Mikrosam develop AFP for the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator’s floor beams and OOA consolidation of 6-meter spars for TPC rudders, elevators and tails.
#workinprogress #outofautoclave #wingoftomorrow

Energy Storage

Carbon Fiber 2022 presentation bundles now available

March 23, 2023 - 12:00 AM EST

Presentation recordings are now available for the 2022 Carbon Fiber conference that was held in Greenville, SC. Presentation bundle categories include Aerospace, Recycling/Sustainability, Energy, Process and Carbon Fiber for Hydrogen Storage.
#sustainability #windblades #wingoftomorrow

Mass Transit

8 Transformations 3D Printing Is Making Possible

March 14, 2023 - 12:00 AM EST

Additive manufacturing changes every space it touches; progress can be tracked by looking for moments of transformation. Here are 8 places where 3D printing is enabling transformative change.
#wingoftomorrow #space #windblades

Aerospace

Additive Manufacturing Is Subtractive, Too: How CNC Machining Integrates With AM (Includes Video)

February 23, 2023 - 12:01 AM EST

For Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, succeeding with laser powder bed fusion as a production process means developing a machine shop that is responsive to, and moves at the pacing of, metal 3D printing.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Aerospace |

Plant tour: Joby Aviation, Marina, Calif., U.S.

As the advanced air mobility market begins to take shape, market leader Joby Aviation works to industrialize composites manufacturing for its first-generation, composites-intensive, all-electric air taxi.
#planttour #wingoftomorrow #space

Jeff Sloan Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld

Materials

ELIOT Project finds solvolysis best method for aerospace biocomposites recycling

AIMPLAS and TNO study analyzed 12 methods for six different biocomposites. Solvolysis and pyrolysis proved the two most promising alternatives tested in large-scale production at a pilot plant.
#trends #biomaterials #sustainability

Marine

Regent unveils full-scale seaglider mock-up, plans for expansion

Up to 600,000 square feet of new manufacturing and testing space is anticipated to fulfill $8 billion in global orders for the composite, all-electric maritime vehicle.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Thermoplastics

EcoRudder project to develop thermoplastic composite aircraft rudder

Airbus, EconCore, Fraunhofer and the Technical University of Denmark will produce a potentially recyclable rudder from thermoplastic honeycomb sandwich composites.
#airbus #wingoftomorrow #space

Aerospace

Solvay, GKN Aerospace renew collaboration agreement

Both companies aim to expand the use of thermoplastic composite materials on high-rate aerospace structures.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Energy Storage

ZeroAvia and Absolut Hydrogen partner to develop liquid hydrogen refueling infrastructure for aircraft operations

Partnership supports development of LH2-powered aircraft with up to 80 seats by 2027 and robust airport infrastructure.
#wingoftomorrow #space #windblades

Urban Air Mobility

Velocity Composites completes first kits from advanced manufacturing facility in Alabama

Full-rate production for GKN Aerospace should begin before next financial year, site will serve as hub for other launch customers as composites grow in wind energy, urban air mobility and electric vehicles.
#wingoftomorrow #space

Urban Air Mobility |

Machine Monitoring Boosts Aerospace Manufacturer's Utilization

Once it had a bird’s eye view of various data points across its shops, this aerospace manufacturer raised its utilization by 27% in nine months.
#composites4-0 #wingoftomorrow #space

Nathaniel Fields Associate Editor, Modern Machine Shop