magazine take off - issue 27

Technologies for the Aircraft of Tomorrow

A350 XWB:FACC is a European Supplier Partner

SSJ100:Certi cation of Aircraft Structures by FACC

FP7:FACC Participating in European Cutting-edge Research

2712.10

2 takeoff F A C C C U S T O M E R M A G A Z I N E

EDITORIAL

Welcome,

dear Readers,

Civil aviation has been shaken by a massive crisis in re-

cent years, so there has been little cause for jubilation.

With the noticeable turnaround over the past months,

the industry has had an occasion or two to celebrate.

At the end of August, our customer Airbus announced

the ofcial start of production for the A350 XWB. The

latest promising development program of the Europe-

an aircraft manufacturer is happy news for FACC, too.

FACC has been contracted so far to do seven work

packages for components on the wings and engines

and the passenger cabins. These contracts guarantee

full order books and do much to ensure a sustainable

future for FACC business sites in Austria. The Airbus

A350 XWB is at least a tiny bit Austrian. You can read

on the following pages just what role FACC played in

making it so.

From Europe to far eastern Russia: There FACC

has a new market and with Sukhoi a new customer.

Its new regional aircraft, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, is

the rst passenger plane completely developed jointly

with Western aviation companies since the end of the

Soviet era. The Russian aircraft manufacturers objec-

tive with the SSJ100 is to cover the short and medium-

haul segment domestically while also serving Western

markets. Sukhoi picked FACC as a partner for modi-

cation, EASA certication and production of various

aerostructures. We report here on the details of this

large project.

You can read about these activities and other inter-

esting subjects in the new issue of take off. For all of us

on the Editorial Team, we wish you an enjoyable time

reading this issue

Andrea Schachinger

Editor

CORRECTION

The FACC take off 26 magazine originally issued on July 19th 2010

contained an article about the MS-21 aircraft that erroneously in-

cluded Intellectual Property information. All the information about

the MS-21 in this article shall not be considered as public and it is

not allowed to be used for any purpose without proper permission

through FACC AG. The concerned article has now been removed

from the magazine.

PS.: We welcome your ideas and comments

[email protected]

Published by: FACC AG, Fischerstrae 9, A-4910 Ried/Austria. Editorial Staff: Walter

Stephan, Thomas Pleli, Robert Machtlinger, Andrea Schachinger. Photos: Manfred Lang Kla-

genfurt, Airbus Toulouse, Alois Furtner Ried, SCAC Moskau, Eurocopter Donauwrth, APB

Seattle, Mark Thompson/Getty Images, Pointecker Mehrnbach, FACC Ried. Design and

Composition: Oskar Pointecker, 4941 Mehrnbach.

Cover: Translating Sleeve for the Airbus A350 XWB

04 A350 XWB: First delivery of translating sleeves

05 Inolvement of FACC in the A350 XWB programme expanded

07 FACC is a European Supplier Partner of Airbus

08 SSJ100: Certication of Aircraft Structures by FACC

10 FP7: FACC participating in European cutting-edge research

12 Milestone: 3,000th Shipset of Blended Winglets delivered

14 FACC honored by Embraer as a 2010 Supplier of the Year

15 High Flying Red Bull Racing is world champion!

CONTENTS

3takeoffF A C C C U S T O M E R M A G A Z I N E

The environment for the aviation in-

dustry has changed dramatically in

recent months. Or has it ?

In the near future, our customers

will speed up the completion rates of

the established aircraft families such

as the Boeing 737 and 777 and the

A320 and A330. This is promising

news in itself. On the other hand, the

delays in new aircraft programs con-

tinue to be a source of uncertainty,

which has compelled me to adopt the

somewhat dissonant note in the title

of this article.

You can add as a backdrop, the

uncertainty about global economic

conditions. European examples in-

clude the immediate nancial crisis

in Ireland along with Portugal and

Spain who are facing similar circum-

stances. Beyond Europe we see the

disconcerting monetary and scal

policy of the United States and the

seemingly uncontrolled growth of the

BRIC countries in general and China

in particular. The US dollar exchange

rate has responded accordingly tak-

ing a roller coaster ride up and down.

The dollar is and will remain the rel-

evant currency for aviation and to be

sure for FACC AG.

Our business environment is for-

ever highly dynamic. If we want to

play an active part in shaping this

environment positively, we as a com-

pany must take appropriate steps to

respond to this dynamism. Heres

how FACC can do it:

Research and development:

FACC invests a great deal in research

and development. This fact is evident

from the number of employees en-

gaged in research, by the technology

and production resources provided

for this purpose and from our nan-

cial outlays. The amounts involved

are impressive. We will nearly double

our research spending from EUR 30

million last year to over EUR 55 million

this year. These stepped up innova-

tion efforts are also yielding impres-

sive results already. They range from

revolutionary accomplishments in

material research - often achieved in

cooperation with the best in the world

- to advanced tooling techniques as

well as the development of new types

of front runner technologies and ef-

cient processes. One current project,

which is putting FACC in a position to

compete in large aerostructures, is

the development of a composite wing

box for a new medium-haul aircraft.

We will celebrate the ofcial roll-out

of the prototype in a few weeks with

the sponsoring customer along with

our partners.

Development programs:

Within this current business year,

FACC has been intensively involved

in several ongoing development

programs. Among the highlights are

complete passenger cabins for vari-

ous civil aircraft and business jets,

the control surfaces for the Russian

SSJ100, as well as numerous inte-

rior and structural components for

the A350. In the future, these pro-

grams will lead to billions of Euros in

sales for FACC and its partners and

will help to ensure a constant, high-

level of capacity utilization. Through

its participation in these programs,

FACC seeks to provide customers

with competitive, integrated solutions

that translate into increased program

revenues and sustainable protability

up and down the value chain.

Production partnerships:

In October of this year FACC suc-

cessfully completed the qualication

process for a new production facility

for a company that has been an im-

portant partner for years. Strata in Al

Ain, a subsidiary of Mubadala Hold-

ing in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, has

delivered the rst production com-

ponents to FACC, ap track fairings

for the A330. This initial delivery is a

major milestone in the collaboration.

FACC provided support to Strata

in the planning and construction as

well as the certication of the facil-

ity to ensure compliance with criteria

specied by a disparate group of air-

craft manufacturers. We can say with

condence, that we have in concert

with numerous industrial partners,

designed and built the most modern

composite factory on earth.

FACC will continue to expand this

business model of production part-

nerships such as established with

Mubadala. In this case we have cho-

sen not to take a stake in the Al Ain

facility. However, with our much im-

proved nancial situation we plan in

the future to set up production sites in

US dollar based economic areas and

operate them ourselves. Our objec-

tive is to lay appropriate groundwork

for responding ideally to the require-

ments of the global aviation market

and to assist our customers in car-

rying out their internationalization

strategies as well as satisfying their

industrial assist obligations in their

markets. FACCs goal is for our cus-

tomers to benet from the latest tech-

nologies in the market, provide them

premier manufacturing performance

and maintain the constant dedica-

tion to perfection for which FACC is

known.

With research, new ideas and

forward-looking partnership models,

we want to create well-thought-out

benets and added value for our cus-

tomers. We believe, that in so doing,

this will be the key to our companys

greatest success.

Walter A. Stephan

FACC AG Chairman and CEO

The FACC Model:We Can Outperform in Troubled Times with Research and New Ideas


While the Airbus A350 XWB wont

take to the skies for the rst time for

a couple of years, a number of sup-

pliers have been working busily on

the aircraft in various factories for

quite some time. FACC AG is one

of them. In March 2010, it began

manufacturing the rst translat-

ing sleeves after a twelve-month

development period. The direct

customer of FACC is Goodrich

Aerostructures, the US group re-

sponsible for supplying the engine

nacelle systems for the A350 XWB.

FACC has been commissioned

to develop and manufacture the

translating sleeve including the

moveable blocker doors. FACC and

Goodrich have collaborated suc-

cessfully for years. At the end of

August, they were able to celebrate

a major milestone in their collabo-

ration with the on-schedule deliv-

ery of the rst translating sleeves

for the long-haul jet from Airbus.

These initial components under-

went numerous tests on engine test

benches at the Rolls-Royce facility

as engine development units. The

Trent XWB from Rolls-Royce is the

Milestone:First delivery of translating sleeves for the A350 XWB

Production of the Airbus A350 XWB was ofcially started in Stade in late August. Concurrently with this signicant programme milestone, FACC delivered the rst translating sleeves for the new long-haul aircraft from Airbus. More good news: FACC landed additional contracts and expanded its involvement in the A350 XWB programme.

FACC hands over the rst translating sleeve for the A350

XWB (: Jake Yu, Chief Engineer Acoustics, Goodrich;

Florent Mercant, Acoustic Engineer, Airbus; Eugene Chi-

en, Acoustic Engineer, Goodrich; Giorgio Mauri, Project

Manager, Goodrich; Michel Berud, Head of Supply Chain

Quality Development, Airbus; Franz Jungmeir, Program

Engineer, FACC; Tom Smith, Progam Associate A350

XWB, Goodrich; Christoph Zaunbauer, Director - Nacelle

Programs, FACC; Lukas Kinneswenger, Program Engineer,

FACC; Jay Wall, On Site Representant, Goodrich; Cornelia

Marsch, Program Engineer, FACC; Markus Hacksteiner,

Senior Manager Production, FACC).


engine Airbus is offering to power

its new aircraft. The test results will

be applied to the further develop-

ment of the engine. The plan is to

deliver the rst thrust reverser units

suitable for series production to

Goodrich in mid 2011.

We have been working suc-

cessfully for years with our cus-

tomer Goodrich Aerostructures.

Together we have come up with

innovative technologies and prod-

ucts to make modern aircraft more

efcient, economical and environ-

mentally compatible, said Walter

Stephan, FACC CEO, at the initial

delivery. The delivery of the rst

translating sleeves is yet another

highpoint and underscores how ef-

fectively our two companies work

together.

FACC produces the translating

sleeves at its Facility 4 in Reichers-

berg, which went into operation in

2007. These components are four

meters in diameter and three me-

ters long. The facility is one of the

most modern production sites for

lightweight composite components

in the world and is aligned for the

greatest possible efciency and

productivity. A high degree of auto-

mation by the employment of new

processes in the surface treatment

before the bonding and innovative

manufacturing technologies for

high-performance acoustic panels

ensure cost-efcient production in

Austria as the place of production.

FACC expands involvement in A350 XWB programme

Airbus is increasing its use of

lightweight composite materials

in the construction of aircraft. The

fuselage of the A350 XWB is made

using carbon-ber reinforced plas-

tic, and overall, around 53 percent

of the airframe is made of innova-

tive, long-lived composite materi-

als. This approach makes the air-

craft lighter in weight, thus reducing

fuel consumption and maintenance

efforts. As a composite specialist,

FACC benets from the growing

use of ber-reinforced composite

materials in the latest aircraft pro-

gramme and is undertaking various

work packages:

Winglets

Besides being contracted to de-

velop and produce the spoilers for

the A350 XWB in 2009, FACC also

signed a long-term contract in 2010

with Airbus as Design-and-Build

supplier for the A350 winglet pack-

age. This contract has special sig-

nicance for FACC as it allows the

company to expand its expertise in

wing parts. It also enables FACC to

apply its years of experience in the

design, development and manufac-

ture of wing tips to the new model

of the Airbus eet.

In various winglet programmes,

including the ight test winglet pro-

totype for the Airbus A320, we have

been able to prove our innovation,

extensive manufacturing expertise

and global competitiveness, said

Robert Machtlinger, Vice President

Structures of FACC. We are all the

more pleased that Airbus has again

selected FACC as a prime contrac-

tor and systems supplier for its cut-

ting-edge long-haul aircraft. Based

on our advanced composite tech-

nology we will make every effort to

provide an important contribution

to the efciency and aerodynamics

of the A350 XWB.

In the modern winglet

production line of

FACC the rst winglets

for the A350 XWB will

be built in 2011.

This commitment underpins

FACCs favorable position among

the worlds winglet suppliers. The

responsibility for the development

and production of various winglet

systems has allowed FACC to de-

velop into a strong-performance

competency center for winglets.

The production line was planned

to fulll the requirements of high

automation and shorter produc-

tion time, as well as the use of the

smallest production area. As an

experienced winglet system part-

ner FACC can contribute many


In the A350 XWB programme, Air-

bus collaborates with aviation com-

panies around the globe, thereby

making its Extended Enterprise

approach a reality. About 6,000

highly qualied engineers are work-

ing worldwide at the suppliers and

partners of this programme plus an

equal number at Airbus itself. Joint

processes, methods and tools en-

sure a more efcient exchange

of information plus an integrated

3-D digital-mockup (DMU) and

a standard planning programme.

This allows Airbus and its suppliers

to work in parallel and in real-time

with each other.

Another way Airbus has height-

ened efciency is to have a smaller

number of primary suppliers and

award them larger work packages.

FACC has the status of European

Supplier Partner of Airbus and is

one of these select primary con-

tractors. The three Austrian facto-

ries are producing components and

systems for the wing and engines

as well as for various interior prod-

ucts for the A350 XWB. The involve-

ment of FACC in this programme is

important for ensuring a sustain-

able future for FACC business sites

in Austria. Over the years, FACC

has built up tremendous expertise

in nacelles, aerostructures and

interiors in a number of different

projects. These new contracts give

the company a chance to apply and

further develop its expertise.

innovations to the winglet design

and can obtain increased efcien-

cy, cost saving and weight reduc-

tion. Through ongoing product im-

provement, an efcient production

is assured.

Airbus and FACC will closely

cooperate in the development of

the winglets for the new A350 XWB.

The future serial production of the

FACC signs a contract

with Eurocopter on

the development

and manufacture of

door linings for the

A350 XWB.

The A350 XWB is also Austrian

winglets will be carried out in the

FACC manufacturing plant in Ried,

Austria, where an average of 100

employees will be working on the

programme at full production ca-

pacity in 2016.

Winglets are wing extensions

that increase the aspect ratio of a

wing and thus the lift generated at

the wingtip. The better aerodynam-

ics result in improved operation

efciency, lower fuel consumption

and a longer range.

PAX Door Linings

The long-time FACC customer Eu-

rocopter awarded a contract to

FACC in July 2010 to develop and

manufacture passenger door lin-

ings. The project includes com-

ponent design, engineering and

qualication, development and

purchasing of production tools, and

denition of materials and process-

es. Eight door linings are needed

for each A350 XWB. The plan is to

deliver the rst series components

in the second quarter of 2011. Eu-

rocopter is the main contractor and

system partner of Airbus for the

manufacture of doors in the next

family of long-haul Airbus aircraft.

In this contract, Eurocopter

puts FACC fully in charge of devel-

oping and manufacturing the door

linings, adding a new dimension to

these companies relationship. In-

stead of just supplying helicopter

components, FACC will now also

manufacture components for pas-

senger aircraft as part of its col-

laboration with Eurocopter.


With its A350 XWB (Xtra Wide Body), Airbus is introducing a completely new family of long-haul

wide-body aircraft. It offers three

versions with typical three-class

seating for 270 to 350 passengers.

FACC is a European Supplier Partner in the A350 XWB programme of Airbus

Project/Customer

Translating SleeveGoodrich Corporation, USA

SpoilerAirbus, Germany

WingletsAirbus

Trent XWB Engine CompositesRolls-Royce PLC, UK

OSC Housings, Bins, Spacers & End CapsDiehl Aircabin, Germany

Door LiningsEurocopter, Germany

Smoke Detection Cover/CavitySiemens SAS, France

Work undertaken by FACC

Manufacturing development, tool design and production, qualication

and manufacturing of translating sleeves and moveable blocker doors

serving as lining for the Trent XWB engine.

Development, engineering, tool design and manufacture, qualication,

manufacture and industrialization of the 14 spoilers and two aperon

hinge panels per aircraft.

Development, engineering, tool design and manufacture, qualication

and manufacture of aerodynamic winglets.

Development, engineering, tool design and manufacture, qualication,

manufacture and industrialization for the carbon-ber-reinforced engine

components, customer consulting regarding jet engine development.


and production of various parts of the luggage compartments.


and production of eight door linings per aircraft.


and manufacture of smoke detection panels.

Airbus A350 XWB: Long-haul airplane of the future

The A350-900 XWB base version is

67 meters long and has a wing span

of 64 meters. It has capacity for 314

passengers and a range of 15,000

kilometers.

With 573 orders already placed

by 35 customers from around the

world thus far, the A350 XWB Fam-

ily is already one of the fastest sell-

ing airliner programmes ever.

INFO


With its Sukhoi Superjet 100, the

Russian aviation industry has de-

signed a modern regional jet to

meet the needs for short and me-

dium-haul ights domestically and

also to be used in western markets.

Along with the type certication

from the Russian state aviation au-

thority Interstate Aviation Commit-

tee (IAC AR), the SSJ100 also has

to satisfy European standards of

ight as well as be approved by the

European Aviation Safety Agency

(EASA). In the course of develop-

ment, the aircraft manufacturer

Sukhoi entered into strategic part-

nerships with European aviation

companies to have them assist with

aircraft development and certica-

tion.

Focus on lightweight de-sign and stable production

One of these partners is FACC

AG. Sukhoi has contracted FACC

to modify, certify and produce the

movable parts made of composite

materials. The work package con-

tains the seven main components:

elevators, rudders, ailerons, spoil-

ers, air brakes, landing aps and

pylon fairing. The top program goal

is to obtain EASA approval of the in-

dividual components with their high

standard of engineering. The cus-

tomer can benet from the years

of experience FACC has in compo-

nent development, production and

certication and in the application

of European regulations. FACC is

making use of proven designs and

technologies in the modication of

the aircraft, allowing component

families already in production at

Sukhoi to be optimized in three re-

gards: reduced weight, simplied

production and a stable manufac-

turing process. In detail, FACC is

focusing its efforts on revising the

designs, calculating and analyzing

the individual components, den-

ing the processes, and dening

and procuring the production tools.

In collaboration with suppliers, new

materials and purchased parts are

developed and qualied in accord-

ance with FACC standards. Con-

formity with strict weight limits and

tough component requirements is

assured. FACC is also in charge of

producing and coordinating the en-

tire documentation comprising over

350 different documents such as

plans, specications, manuals, etc.

Pushed to the limits during testing

The rst parts that FACC will deliver

will be used as test components

and will undergo through tests to

determine whether they meet the

required criteria for approval. In

static tests, the components will

be subjected to their maximum al-

lowable load, the design ultimate

load. This value is 1.5 times the

design limit load which is applied

to the aircraft structure in normal

operation.

In addition, the components

undergo fatigue testing that simu-

lates a lifecycle of the aircraft to

test how the aircraft responds over

time and to reveal potential fatigue

risks. FACC will analyze the nd-

ings from the different tests with

great care and incorporate them

into the production of the series

Sukhoi is seeking approval in Europe from aviation authorities for its new SSJ100 regional jet. FACC is making available its broad expertise on aerostructures and has been selected by the Russian aircraft manufacturer as a partner for the modi-cation, certication and production of various composite components.

SSJ100:Certication of Aircraft Structures by FACC

Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi has contracted FACC

as its partner to modify, certify and

manufacture the movable parts for the

SSJ100.


parts. The plans call for FACC to

deliver all components of the entire

work package in December 2011

for rst article inspection. Once

they are approved, FACC will pro-

duce two shipsets of movable parts

per month.

Enlarged market and product range

With this contract, FACC is expand-

ing its product range for aerostruc-

tures because some parts of the

work package such as the land-

ing aps, rudders, ailerons - are

being manufactured by the aircraft

supplier for the rst time. In addi-

tion, this is being done in Russia,

a promising new market for FACC.

With the expertise FACC gains from

this contract, it has a chance in the

future to further rene its products

and services in the Structures seg-

ment. This is yet another step for

FACC in its aspiration to provide

complete system assemblies with

services ranging from initial design

all the way to efcient series pro-

duction. With its implementation of

this strategy, FACC can respond

even better to the needs of its cus-

tomers and provide complete solu-

tions of the best quality.

Super Features, Super Technologies, Super Economics: The Sukhoi Superjet 100

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) designs,

develops and builds the Superjet 100 family. This

family consists of aircraft with seating for 78 and 98

in the basic versions SSJ100/95B and SSJ100/75B

and in the longer-haul versions SSJ100/95LR and

SSJ100/75LR. The SSJ100 belongs to the new

generation of modern and environmentally friendly

regional jets. The SSJ100 has superb technical and

operational traits that make it highly competitive. It

is economical and easy to operate and maintain.

The SSJ100 is newly designed especially for the

100-seat segment and combines the economy of a

regional jet with the comfort of a jet developed for

long distances.

The rst SSJ100 left the SCAC nal assembly

plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, on Sep-

tember 26, 2007. Its maiden ight was in May 2008.

INFO


In January 2007, the European Un-

ion started the 7th framework pro-

gram for funding scienti c activity

in Europe (FP7 for short). Within

this framework programme, the

European Commission supports

development activities in the area

of transport with funding of EUR

4.1 billion. In the major eld of aero-

space, nancial support is reserved

for technology development to help

in the construction of aircraft that is

more fuel ef cient and less noisy.

The FACC Research Depart-

ment is currently participating in

two major development projects.

In the rst, called MAAXIMUS

(More affordable aircraft trough ex-

tended, integrated and mature nu-

merical sizing), FACC is developing

fuselage frames for a single-aisle

aircraft. The second, the CleanSky

project ORCA (optimized large

scale engine CFRP annulus ller)

involves developing a composite

solution for an annulus ller to the

series production stage.

Lighter, cheaper, faster

MAAXIMUS is a large-scale co-operation project with 57 partners

from 19 countries. Along with air-

craft manufacturers such as Airbus,

Dassault and Bombardier, many

rst-tier suppliers are participating

as well, such as Alenia, Latecoere

and also FACC.

The main goal of the project is

to develop a composite fuselage

that is 10% lighter, 10% more cost

effective and assembled in 50%

less time than the best known so-

lution. To achieve these ambitious

goals, the project is divided into

two platforms. In the rst platform,

the work focuses on the fully-virtual

development of an aircraft fuselage.

Well-known simulation software

suppliers as MSC and Abaqus are

used for developing software solu-

tions in cooperation with Airbus to

allow the nearly full development

of an aircraft on a computer. Unlike

the automotive industry, where this

approach is a well-known standard,

the aircraft industry is still forced to

verify single parts and units in com-

plicated tests.

Integrated means lighter

The second, the so-called physical

platform, is developing a full-size

demonstrator of a fuselage seg-

ment in order to verify the results

of the virtual platform in a series

of extensive tests. In the process,

highly innovative production meth-

ods, such as one-shot skins with

integrated stringers are to be tested

in a close-to- ying environment.

What FACC contributes to the

project are the circumferential stiff-

eners for the fuselage known as

the frames. Their main purpose is

to help stabilize the skin and fasten

the passenger oor.

Conventional frame designs

are produced in a differential proc-

ess, i.e. several sub-components

have to be assembled to a frame.

Besides the greater assembly ef-

fort, this approach requires un-

necessarily thick parts because

account has to be taken of overlap-

ping and drilled holes. In addition,

the parts currently used require a

The European Commission is funding high-end re-search for aircraft that is quieter and more fuel ef -cient. As a rst-tier supplier in the aircraft industry, FACC is involved in the development of new tech-nologies from the very outset.

FP7: FACC participating in European cutting-edge research

MAAXIMUS aims at achieving the fast develop-

ment and right- rst time validation of a highly-

optimised composite fuselage.

MAAXIMUS More Affordable Aircraft through eXtended, Integrated and Mature nUmerical Sizing

FACCs contribution:Development and manufacture of an integral

fuselage frame

Conventional design with cut-out stringer pass-

through (blue) and the integrated FACC solution

(yellow)


high amount of post-processing

to ensure the pass-through of the

stringers.

The FACC Research and Devel-

opment Department has come up

with a process that allows the net-

shape parts to be manufactured in

one shot, with no need for an auto-

clave. Manufacturing is done with a

resin-infusion process, where the

dry, stabilized carbon- ber preform

is saturated with resin applied in a

vacuum. FACC did the design and

layup for the preform in coopera-

tion with EADS Innovation Works

Germany in Munich.

With all functions now integrat-

ed in a part, total weight was re-

duced by more than 10 percent and

part stiffness was improved. This

research project helps FACC to

increase its marketin uence even

more in the aerostructure segment.

Engines for the future

As part of the ORCA project FACC can also present a new develop-

ment in the eld of aircraft engines.

In cooperation with the University

of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil

(CH) and Rolls-Royce plc (UK),

FACC is developing an annulus ller

in composite technology. It is part

of a new engine developed in the

CleanSky project. Although based

on the currently largest engine, the

Trent 1000 (exclusively on Boeings

787 Dreamliner), the new engine

was optimized regarding fuel ef -

ciency.

High production rates are a must

An annulus ller is a part for what

is called the cold area of a bypass

engine and is mounted directly

Annulus ller assembly on an engine

Metal version and a possible CFRP design for an

annulus ller

between the fan blades. Its ma-

jor task is to direct the air stream

to the fan blades. The part rotates

at high speeds so it is loaded with

several tons of centrifugal forces.

Yet it needs to maintain its speci-

ed geometry under all ight con-

ditions to optimize engine perform-

ance. At the same time, the part

must be ductile enough to survive

a hailstorm. It must be cost ef cient

in mass production and not cause

damage to surrounding parts in

case of a part failure.

These contrary requirements

can be best ful lled with the use

of carbon ber reinforced plastic

(CFRP). The FACC Research and

Development Department is per-

forming component design analy-

sis in cooperation with the Uni-

versity of Rapperswil. FACC bears

sole responsibility for preparing the

part for mass production in which

costs are minimized and ef ciency

is high.

As one engine requires 18 llers,

FACC needs to deliver about 40

parts a day based on the current

production rate. Given the produc-

tion plans of major aircraft manu-

facturers, as many as 80 llers a

day need to be produced. These

quantities require a robust and fast

production process that delivers

consistently high part quality and

minimal scrap rates.

The nal ller, co-designed and

manufactured by FACC, will be as-

sembled in an aircraft as part of the

research project and tested in ight

at end of 2013 in order to verify

ight capability.

ORCA optimized large scale engine CFRP annulus ller

FACCs contribution:Development and manufacture of a CFRP

annulus ller

www.maaximus.eu

www.cleansky.eu

Contacts FACC AGR&D Department

Johannes Noisternig

[email protected]

+43 59 616 1436

MAAXIMUS

Le Huong Nguyen

[email protected]

+43 59 616 1775

ORCA

Konstantin Horejsi

[email protected]

+43 59 616 1842

INFO


The development and production of winglets has evolved a core competence of the FACC AG since the delivery of the rst shipset in 2002. A very spe-

cial milestone was celebrated just recently with the delivery of the 3,000th shipset of Blended

WingletsTM to the U.S. customer Aviation Partners Boeing. The celebrated shipset

left the Ried facility for Renton, Seattle where the aerodynamic, fuel-saving

wing tips were mounted onto an Air China Boeing 737-NG.

FACC hand over the 3,000th Shipset of

Blended Winglets for an Air China 737-NG

to Aviation Partners Boeing tr. Drew

Brennan (Supply Chain Manager, APB),

Robert Machtlinger (VP Structures, FACC),

Brian Harvey (Director of Contracts, APB),

Patrick Lamoria (Vice President Sales,

APB), Walter Stephan (CEO, FACC), Dean

Poor (Vice President Operations, APB),

Bernhard Matzner (CFO, FACC), Thomas

Pleli (CCO, FACC), Don Camillo (Direc-

tor of European Operations, APB), Martin

Bgl (Director Aerostructures Programs,

FACC), Sidney Anderson (Director Op-

erations, APB), Christian Strobl (Program

Manager, FACC), Mary Dunaway (Head of

Supply Chain Management and Contracts,

APB) und Tim Pohlenz (Quality Assurance

Manager, APB)

Milestone:3,000th Shipset of Blended Winglets delivered

During a recent visit of Aviation

Partners Boeing (APB) representa-

tives to FACC Ried in mid October,

the winglets were of cially handed

over by Walter Stephan, Chairman

and CEO of FACC. Innovative

companies such as APB always

present interesting challenges,

said Stephan. Thanks to our sys-

tem solutions expertise and our

profound technical know-how; we

could meet the stringent require-

ments of APB in terms of complex

assemblies and high production

rates. Supported by the excellent

partnership of our two companies

we could optimize the winglet tech-

nology and thus ensure an ef cient

series production. We are extreme-

ly proud to be recognized by APB

as a long term partner for the sup-

ply of Blended Winglets.

Aviation Partners Boeing lo-

cated in Seattle - is a joint venture

between Aviation Partners, the in-

ventor of the Blended WingletTM

technology and the airplane manu-

facturer Boeing. APB are responsi-

ble for marketing the aerodynamic

wing tips and Mr. John R. Reimers,


President and CEO of APB, pro-

claimed: Congratulations to the

entire FACC team. The delivery of

the 3,000th Blended Winglet set is

a momentous achievement that

few in our industry get to experi-

ence. That you have reached this

milestone in just the eight year of

our program together, speaks to

both the capability of FACC and the

value of the product in the market

place.

APB and FACC:A partnership addicted to success

The cooperation between the

two aerospace suppliers began in

2002 when APB awarded a con-

tract for the original serial produc-

tion of 120 shipsets of Blended

WingletsTM. In April 2010, APB ex-

tended the contract for the entire

lifetime of the product and ap-

pointed FACC as the single source

supplier to APB and Boeing Seattle

of Blended WingletsTM for the air-

craft models Boeing 737-700/-800,

Boeing Business Jets, Boeing 757-

200 and Boeing 737-900ER. FACC

now manufactures all production

and retrot Blended WingletsTM.

The 3,000 shipsets were installed

on Boeing airplanes for 168 air-

lines, among them are Southwest

Airlines, Ryanair, American Air-

lines, Continental Airlines, Alaska

FACC employees and representatives from Aviation Partners Boeing celebrate the delivery

of the 3000th shipset of Blended Winglets.

Airlines, Copa Airlines, Delta Air-

lines, Air Tran, Gol Airlines, West-

Jet, Turkish Airlines, Xiamen Air-

lines, Air China etc. Deliveries of a

similar volume are planned for the

next ten years. As a subcontrac-

tor of Aviation Partners Inc., FACC

have also manufactured and de-

veloped the winglet prototypes for

the Airbus A320.

Dean Poor, Vice Presi-

dent Operations, and

Patrick Lamoria, Vice

President Sales, both

APB, rejoice together

with FACC CEO Walter

Stephan in the im-

portant programme

milestone.


The award was given Mid Novem-

ber during the Embraer Supplier

Conference in So Jos dos Cam-

pos/, Brazil.

We all at FACC are very proud

of having been chosen once again

as one of Embraers Suppliers of

the Year for 2010. We achieved this

prestigious award as a result of

our innovative technology and high

production quality that was accom-

plished through a major commit-

ment from everyone at the Interiors

division of FACC, commented

Walter Stephan, Chief Executive

Ofcer of FACC. The efforts under-

taken by FACC have signicantly

contributed to an on-time instal-

lation of the Phenom 300 interior

and a successful production ramp

up from 1 to 30 aircraft within one

year. Stephan took the occasion to

thank both Embraer for their con-

dence in FACC and the FACC team

for their hard work to accomplish

the Supplier of the Year award.

The Supplier of the Year is Em-

braers recognition of the progress

of its best suppliers, in terms of

improved quality and efciency of

the products and services as well

as exibility, delivery reliability, cus-

tomer support and innovation.

For the second consecutive year, the FACC AG was named as an Embraer Supplier of the Year. With this award the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer honors the excellent performance of FACC in quality, exibility, delivery reliability, customer support and develop-ment in the category Interior.

FACC Honored by Embraer as a

2010 Supplier of the Year

FACC and Embraer

FACC has been a supplier of Embraer since 2006.

Initial orders included various interior components

for the executive jets Phenom 100, Phenom 300 and

Lineage 1000. In 2008, Embraer awarded FACC the

contract for the development and manufacture of the

complete passenger cabin of the executive jet mod-

els Legacy 450 and Legacy 500.


From 0 to 100 in just six years: the Red Bulls took the fast lane to success. The Red Bull Racing Team saw a long-standing dream come true in the 2010 racing season when it won two Formula 1 world championship titles. These victories are the latest crowning touches to the unique success story the Austrian beverage company has had in sports.

Two consecutive Sundays will be-

come holidays for Red Bull Rac-

ing. On the last Sunday of racing

for the Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi, the

Austrian racing team captured the

drivers title to make Sebastian Vet-

tel the youngest Formula 1 world

champion of all times. And that

was just one week after clinching

the constructors title. Energy drink

maker and team owner Dietrich

Mateschitz was understandably

elated. For the champion maker,

it is the biggest sports triumph his

corporation has ever had and a

conrmation of his intensive activi-

ties as a sports sponsor. The bever-

age producer sponsors about 500

athletes worldwide, including many

athletes involved in extreme and

unusual sports of many kinds, from

aerobatics, motorcycle acrobatics

and cliff diving to mountain climb-

ing and surng.

Six years have passed from the

Red Bull Racing Team entering the

premier arena in motor sports to

reaching the summit. In 2004 Red

Bull acquired the F1 racing team

Jaguar Racing. From the outset,

Red Bull Racing performed re-

spectably on the racetrack. It had

its rst podium win in Monaco in

2006. Since then the team has had

podium nishes every year. What

makes Red Bull so unique from

everything that preceded it is the

fresh wind it brings into promoting

its F1 program; for instance, the

daily paddock newspaper The Red

Bulletin, the Formula Una Girls in

the early years and the Energy Sta-

tion, which plays host to the entire

paddock with its open-door policy.

The 2010 racing season is the latest

milestone in the teams still short

Formula 1 history. With its strong

driving duo that combines Mark

Webbers experience with Sebas-

tian Vettels youthful talent, the

team captured nine victories in 19

races to clinch the big double in an

exciting nale: the world champion-

ship titles for drivers and construc-

tors.

High FlyingRed Bull Racing is world champion!

Portrait of Red Bull Racing

Owner: Dietrich Mateschitz

Team principal: Christian Horner

Chief technical ofcer: Adrian Newey

Drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber

Grand Prix participation: 106

Victories: 14

Pole positions: 20

World championship titles: 2 (drivers and constructors 2010)

FACCA-4910 Ried/Austria, Fischerstrae 9

Tel. +43/59/616-0, Fax +43/59/616-81000

e-mail: [email protected], www.facc.at

Our excellent partners at FACC completed the 3,000th shipset of Blended Winglets in October, 2010. Under

the steady leadership of CEO Walter Stephan, their performance has inspired us to extend our collaboration

for the life of the 737-NG and 757 programs. Fly to aviationpartnersboeing.com. The future is on the wing.

3,000 SHIPSETS IS JUST THE TIP OF THE STORY.

magazine take off - issue 27

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