High-performance composite technologies have seen a sharp increase in innovation and research and development (R&D) in recent years, driven by two major industrial developments: the decision to use composites for primary structures of large airliners and the introduction in mass market automobiles.
I BELOW: Airline fleet growth Asia-Pacific Source: Airbus
n addition to these key industries, fibre composite materials have been used in substantial amounts in wind energy and sports industry - one of the earliest adopters of high-performance composite material. However, manufacturing remains largely manual in both industries. Regulation and quality requirements are significantly less than in aerospace. The lower volumes, high quality standards and certification requirements in Aerospace & Defense are reflected in the numbers: with around 18% of the total quantity of carbon fibers consumed globally, it accounts for roughly 40% of the value of global sales, whereas the wind energy sector generates only approx. 13% of global revenues with 23% of carbon fiber consumption. Looking at the Aviation sector, passenger air traffic is doubling every 15 years and Asia-Pacific leads world traffic with 29 per cent of passenger traffic. MRO Services will
# A/C 12000 10000 8000 6000
20-year fleet growth 4.5% p.a.
11164
Growth 6514
4650
4000 2000 0
May - August
21
Beginning 2013
2032