Contact: Anders BRODSJO (Mr)
Tel: +31-703017400
Email a.brodsjo@airborne.nl
Web: www.airborne-technologycentre.com

The Airborne group is specialised in the design and build of composite structures, strongly based on new technology development with a focus to industrialisation of composite manufacturing. Airborne is an SME with currently 160 people personnel, with three sites: headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, a site focused to RTM for aerospace in Girona, Spain, and a new factory for thermoplastic composite tubulars for the oil & gas industry in IJmuiden, the Netherlands. The Airborne Technology Centre develops the new technologies for the group, up to TRL 5 (prototype / pilot production line level), after which the Business Units take over and perform the product development and commercialisation. Airborne is active in many markets, such as aeronautics, space, high-tech machines, science, marine and oil and gas.

Main skills & capacities

Airborne has design and manufacturing capabilities, and is active in all three main composite

manufacturing technologies: prepreg, injection (RTM and vacuum infusion) and thermoplastic composites. It has all the infrastructure and equipment available for these technologies, such as clean rooms, autoclaves, RTM equipment, tape-laying, continuous winding, extrusion, CNC machining and NDI equipment. New technologies under development that are relevant for ECOMISE are: RTM, pick & place, dry fibre placement.

Relevant network and experience Airborne is active in many research projects, both national and international. Examples are: Clean Sky Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft and Green Rotor Craft, both on RTM technologies (aeronautics – FP7), HIVOCOMP on fast curing RTM resins and welding of thermoplastics (automotive – FP7), SMARTFIBER about automation of optical fibre sensor integration (ICT – FP7), TAPAS on primary aircraft structures in thermoplastics (aeronautics – NL funded with participation of Airbus), CAMPES on tape-laying for space structures (Preliminary ESA Programme - NL funded), FAMPROP on pick & place for ship propellers (Marine Innovation Programme - NL funded), TCSKAR on thermoplastic telescope reflectors (Polymer Innovation Programme – NL funded), SRP on press-formed stiffened panels (aeronautics – NL funded).