The Large Passenger Aircraft (LPA) Platform 2 – Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) will employ new combinations of airframe structures, cabin/cargo, and system elements using advanced materials, notably HPTP composites. The MFFD is focused on achieving significant cost and weight reductions, coupled with high production rates. To bring these materials to market, there is a need to validate direct joining methods, which eschew traditional adhesive bonding in order to reduce cycle time and improve joint quality. The MECATESTERS project represents a key step in the progression of such technologies to widespread use in the aerospace sector. It will permit a greater level of understanding of the micro-mechanical behavior of the interfaces – an understanding which is currently limited: issues such as aging, healing, processing parameters, and durability need to be investigated in greater detail in order to develop a coherent approach. The MECATESTERS project will elucidate many aspects of thermoplastic joining using precision thermoplastic welding (PTW) methods. It will examine systematically the effects of surface condition, matrix aging, and bonding method on the reliability and performance of assemblies bonded using a variety of thermoplastic welding technologies.

The aerospace industry currently has a need for lightweight, complex composite structures to make their way into operational use. Changes in the regulatory landscape and demands for reduced emissions, coupled with the need to optimize Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK), have driven research efforts into cleaner, lighter, and more efficient aircraft designs. A key approach to reducing emissions is minimizing weight: by reducing weight, fuel usage drops, leading to a reduction in overall emissions. This requires that traditional materials such as steel, aluminum, and even titanium be replaced with lighter, high-performance materials. High Performance Thermoplastics (HPTP) are an excellent solution to the issues of recyclability, light weight, high performance, and repairability. HPTP composites offer compelling advantages over metal components: improved working life, lower weight, reduced fuel consumption, and longer service intervals. The Large Passenger Aircraft (LPA) Platform 2–Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) will employ new combinations of airframe structures, cabin/cargo, and system elements using advanced materials, notably HPTP composites. The MFFD is focused on achieving significant cost and weight reductions, coupled with high production rates. The use of thermoplastic welding can lead to significant benefits, but in order to obtain certification under EASA and CS 23 rules, disbond arrest features must be integrated into the structure. The TORNADO project will develop a novel technology, Inductive Low-Shear Friction Stir Riveting, as well several other fallback alternatives, in order to provide a high-performance solution for disbond arrest in the MFFD.

The manufacturing of large-scale parts needs the implementation of a holistic data management and integrated automation methodology to achieve the desired levels of precision using modular and more flexible equipment. Large-part manufacturing is characterized by the high customization required (built-customer specific). Also, manufacturing of complex large-scale parts involves a variety of subassemblies that must be manufactured and assembled. This high degree of personalization implies a great effort in the design and the posterior verification after manufacturing, to achieve high precision. On the other hand, this customised product-centric design requires an optimisation of the resources of the workshop –i.e. workers, machines, devices— for a responsive, reconfigurable and modular production, targeting the execution of key labour-intensive tasks by preserving industry-specific workers’ knowledge and skills (worker-centric approach). PENELOPE proposes a novel methodology linking product-centric data management and production planning and scheduling in a closed-loop digital pipeline for ensuring an accurate and precise manufacturability from the initial product design. PENELOPE is built over five pillars for developing a common methodology and vision deployed in four industrial-driven pilot lines in strategic manufacturing sectors (Oil&Gas, Shipbuilding, Aeronautics and Bus&Coach) and with potential replicability to other sectors. Moreover, it will be set a pan-European network of Didactic Factories and showrooms, providing training and upskilling capabilities enabling the workforce transition towards Industry 4.0 and general-purpose testbeds for assisting in the industry adoption. PENELOPE envision to highly-increase EU manufacturing sector competitiveness by increasing production performance, quality and accuracy while ensuring workers’ safety and resource efficiency.