Pilatus Launches Study to Recycle Carbon Fiber Prepreg Waste Into Aircraft Components

Updated on May 25, 2026 • 6 min read

Pilatus Aircraft has launched a 32-month research project aimed at solving one of aerospace manufacturing’s biggest sustainability problems:

👉 what to do with carbon fiber prepreg waste.

The Swiss aircraft manufacturer is partnering with:

• Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
• Inspire AG

to investigate whether unused aerospace-grade carbon fiber prepreg scrap can be recycled directly back into aircraft production.

The project is being financially supported by:

• Innosuisse

Why Prepreg Waste Is a Major Aerospace Problem

Modern aircraft manufacturing relies heavily on:

• carbon fiber reinforced composites
• prepreg laminates
• lightweight structural materials

Prepreg material consists of:

👉 carbon fiber fabric pre-impregnated with resin.

It is widely used because it provides:

• high structural consistency
• precise fiber control
• excellent mechanical properties
• aerospace-grade quality

However, prepreg manufacturing also generates large amounts of waste.

Pilatus Produces More Than Six Tons of Composite Waste Per Year

According to Pilatus, the company generates:

👉 more than 6 tons of carbon fiber prepreg waste annually

during cutting and component manufacturing operations.

This waste is created because prepreg sheets must often be:

• trimmed
• cut into complex geometries
• shaped for layup processes

Unused scraps typically cannot be reused easily in primary aerospace applications.

As a result, large quantities of expensive composite material are discarded.

Why Recycling Aerospace Composites Is Difficult

Carbon fiber recycling remains one of the biggest unresolved challenges in advanced composites manufacturing.

The problem is not only the fiber itself.

The real difficulty comes from:

• thermoset resin systems
• cured material chemistry
• contamination
• fiber orientation disruption
• aerospace certification requirements

Traditional recycling methods often involve:

• thermal pyrolysis
• fiber burning
• chemical recovery
• downcycling into low-value products

These methods may recover fibers, but they often reduce:

• mechanical performance
• fiber length
• structural integrity

That limits reuse in high-performance aerospace structures.

Pilatus Is Exploring Direct Prepreg Waste Reuse

The new Swiss project focuses on something different:

👉 directly transforming unused prepreg scraps into new components.

That is important because it could preserve more material value than conventional recycling methods.

How the Proposed Recycling Process Works

The study investigates a controlled thermal treatment process.

Step 1 — Controlled Heating

Sticky prepreg waste is heated carefully until:

• adhesive properties decrease
• material handling improves
• prepreg becomes machinable

Step 2 — Material Size Reduction

The material is then:

• cut into smaller fragments
• prepared for reprocessing

Step 3 — Compression Molding

Using a specialized pressing process, the recycled material is:

• reshaped into new components
• consolidated under pressure
• hardened into usable composite structures

According to Pilatus, no established industrial aviation process currently exists for directly converting prepreg production scrap into new aerospace components this way.

Potential Aluminum Replacement

One of the most interesting aspects of the project is its potential to replace metallic aircraft parts.

Pilatus says successful implementation could reduce aluminum consumption by:

👉 up to 36 tons annually.

That matters because aerospace manufacturers increasingly seek:

• lighter aircraft
• lower fuel consumption
• reduced emissions
• more sustainable manufacturing

If recycled composite materials can replace selected aluminum parts, manufacturers may improve both:

• weight efficiency
• material sustainability

Why Aerospace Sustainability Is Becoming Critical

The aerospace industry faces growing pressure to reduce environmental impact across the full manufacturing lifecycle.

Attention is shifting beyond aircraft fuel burn toward:

• manufacturing waste
• material sourcing
• lifecycle emissions
• circular production models

Composite waste has become a major issue because modern aircraft programs increasingly rely on carbon fiber structures.

Large aerospace OEMs now generate significant quantities of:

• prepreg offcuts
• cured laminate waste
• trimming debris
• end-of-life composite structures

Europe Is Accelerating Circular Composite Research

The Pilatus project reflects a wider European push toward:

👉 circular composite manufacturing.

Research institutions and aerospace companies are increasingly investigating:

• recycled carbon fiber systems
• thermoplastic composites
• reclaimable resin technologies
• low-waste manufacturing
• sustainable prepreg systems

The challenge is especially important in aerospace because certification standards are extremely strict.

Any recycled material must still demonstrate:

• structural reliability
• repeatability
• safety performance
• traceability

Why This Matters Beyond Aviation

Although the study focuses on aircraft manufacturing, the implications extend much further.

Successful prepreg recycling methods could eventually benefit:

• automotive composites
• wind energy structures
• hydrogen storage systems
• sporting goods
• industrial lightweight structures

because all of these sectors face similar waste challenges.

The Economic Side of Composite Recycling

Carbon fiber prepreg is expensive.

Waste reduction therefore has both:

• environmental value
• direct economic value

Recovering usable material from production waste could help manufacturers reduce:

• raw material costs
• disposal costs
• supply chain dependency

especially as aerospace-grade carbon fiber demand continues rising globally.

🔒 Content Transparency & Editorial Integrity

This article is developed based on real engineering experience, machine testing data, and practical production knowledge from Jota Machinery’s work in advanced composite manufacturing.

All technical explanations—including material structure, processing methods, and performance characteristics—are reviewed and verified by our engineering team to ensure accuracy and real-world relevance.

To improve clarity and structure, AI-assisted tools may have been used during content organization and language refinement. However:

• All key technical insights originate from first-hand industrial experience
• All data and claims are manually reviewed and validated
• The content is created with the primary goal of educating engineers, manufacturers, and buyers

We do not publish content solely for search ranking purposes. Every article is designed to provide practical, experience-based value to professionals in the composite materials industry.

Editorial perspective

This project is important because it targets one of the composites industry’s least discussed problems:

manufacturing scrap.

Most conversations about advanced composites focus on:

• strength
• weight reduction
• performance

But large-scale industrial adoption also creates large-scale waste streams.

Pilatus is not simply trying to recycle carbon fiber after aircraft retirement decades later.

It is trying to recover value immediately from production waste inside the manufacturing cycle itself.

That distinction matters.

If successful, this approach could help move aerospace composites closer to a true circular manufacturing model — something the industry still struggles to achieve today.