Randy Wilkerson, representing Boeing in a NASA-led research initiative, noted, “The goal is to recommend the best approach to transition to the next airplane program. Among the promising materials gaining traction are thermoplastics.”
Can be reheated and reshaped
Unlike traditional thermoset composites, thermoplastics can be reheated and reshaped.
Lukas Raps from the German Aerospace Centre highlighted this flexibility, explaining that the ability to melt and remold thermoplastics allows for creating seamless, aerodynamic structures.
York Roth, a senior researcher with Airbus in Germany, reportedly emphasized the potential of thermoplastics when he said, “There is no doubt that thermoplastic materials offer opportunities that we don’t have with thermosets.”
Thermoplastics could also permit welding instead of riveting, significantly reducing the metal fasteners required for each aircraft.
However, such changes would still need to undergo rigorous certification processes.