Strata Manufacturing, the advanced composite aero-structures manufacturing facility wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, has announced the successful completion of the manufacturing process for the redesigned Airbus A330 Flap Track Fairing. The process was conceived and spearheaded by a team of Emirati engineers who tested the new product at Strata’s state-of-the-art facilities in Al Ain.
A team of 13 Emirati engineers were able to successfully develop an optimised Flap Track Fairing following the Strata Design Process, which consists of five stages: defining requirements, designing a conceptual part, designing a preliminary part, providing a detailed design, and releasing the design to production. The improved aero-structure is built using carbon fibre that reduces its weight by over 15 per cent.
The design meets the EN9100 certification set by DEKRA, a leading global provider of auditing and certification services in the fields of safety, environment, and health, which qualifies a company to design and manufacture composite components for aircraft structures.
The engineers also introduced an innovative approach to the production process called the ‘Jigless’ Assembly. This enables components to be bolted together in the same way ready-to-assemble furniture is built, while maintaining strong aerospace tolerance, reducing production time and cost, as well as the floor area required in the process.
