Daher Advances Welded Thermoplastic Rib Machining for Lighter Aircraft Structures

Published date:06/05/2026 | Last updated date:06/05/2026

Daher has reached a major milestone in its aircraft lightweighting roadmap with the development of welded thermoplastic composite ribs, a structural innovation designed to reduce aircraft weight, improve production efficiency and support lower fuel consumption.

Developed by Daher’s R&D teams and machining specialists at the Shap’in tech center, the ribs are made from carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTP) and are intended for future wing structures.

20% lighter than metallic ribs

The welded thermoplastic ribs combine a large L-shaped section with an angle bracket. Instead of using metallic fasteners, the components are joined through welding, taking advantage of thermoplastic resin’s ability to be reheated, reworked and fused.

The result is significant:

• around 20% lighter than metallic ribs
• nearly 100 kg saved per aircraft on an A320-type platform
• reduced need for mechanical fasteners
• strong potential for future high-rate aircraft production

The technology has already received industry recognition through a JEC Innovation Award.

Thick CFRTP machining becomes the real challenge

The rib structure reaches up to 64 plies, or about 12 mm thickness, with some areas locally much thicker than standard composite parts.

That creates serious machining difficulties:

• thermoplastic resin can melt during cutting
• chips must be evacuated efficiently
• tool clogging can quickly damage process stability
• welded areas create access, clamping and vibration challenges

Unlike thermoset composites, abrasive tools are not suitable. Daher had to rely on sharp cutting tools and evaluate options such as:

• CVD-coated carbide
• PCD inserts
• veined PCD tools

Tooling had to be redesigned

Conventional vacuum-only clamping was not enough. Cutting forces can reach up to 1,000 N, making mechanical stability essential.

Daher therefore developed a more robust tooling strategy focused on:

• vibration control
• machining access
• tool length management
• repeatable clamping
• cycle reliability

One of the most difficult areas, known as the “mouse hole” zone, became a stress test for the entire process because of its combined geometric and vibration constraints.

A dedicated machining system for industrial readiness

The machining system installed at Shap’in was sized specifically for thick thermoplastic composite structures. It includes instrumentation for process monitoring, chip management and future production control.

This is important because the project is not only about proving that welded thermoplastic ribs can be made. It is about proving they can be machined reliably, repeatedly and at industrial rate.

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Editorial perspective

Daher’s work shows where aerospace composites are heading next.

The material breakthrough is important, but the real industrial value lies in process control. Thick thermoplastic structures can reduce weight and remove fasteners, but only if machining, tooling, clamping and monitoring are solved together.

That is the key lesson here: future aircraft lightweighting will not depend on material innovation alone. It will depend on whether manufacturers can turn complex composite parts into stable, repeatable production systems.