Airbus Stade Factory
Outside of Hamburg we visited the local Airbus factory. This factory was responsible for making the tails of 3 Airbus plane models. The factory specializes in CFP, or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. This is essentially just normal carbon fiber construction, and the plastic refers to the epoxy used to bind the carbon fiber together. It is good to make plane parts from carbon fiber because it is extremely light and strong, and lighter parts reduce fuel consumption and increase range.
I will describe how the tails are made and what goes into carbon fiber construction. First, an automatic machine lays out strips of resin pre-impregnated carbon fiber. This machine lays the material on a mostly flat surface in various thicknesses and fiber orientations. This makes the part have more or less strength where it needs it. After the part is laid in the correct orientation, it is put onto a pattern which holds it into its final shape. A vacuum is pulled onto the part in order to tightly press the layers together. Then it is inserted into an autoclave, which is a giant oven that is at a high pressure. In the autoclave, the resin binder in the carbon fiber is cured, and the piece reaches its full strength. From there, the part is inspected by an ultrasound machine for defects, and moved on to assembly. Multiple parts of the tail are attached together with flush rivets so the surface is aerodynamic. Once the parts are all attached, the tail is complete!
I thought this technology was very incredible, and was amazing to see in person. I have watched a lot of YouTube videos on making small scale carbon fiber parts from a prepreg process, and it was amazing to see the process automated and at such a large scale. It makes me want to visit the Boeing factory in Washington to see their technology.
