composite engine pylon aft fairing for the ecoDemonstrator 787. With resin infusion, dry fiber is injected with resin in an oven using atmospheric pressure. The technology enables complex shapes and contours, and offers cost and weight savings over the traditional composite manufacturing process. What had been a multiple-piece design for the pylon aft fairing became one piece, reducing the weight of the fairing by about 20 percent, with manufacturing cost savings of about 50 percent. “That production difference 42 Boeing Frontiers allows us to have significantly reduced detailed part costs compared to the traditional means,” said Mike Dickinson, managing director of Boeing Aerostructures Australia. “This is the only place within Boeing that we’re currently manufacturing components using resin infusion and Fishermans Bend is a center of excellence for this technology.” The resin infusion technology is just one example of how Boeing Australia is helping sharpen the company’s innovative edge. And it underscores how important Australia is to Boeing’s global business—and future success. “There is an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit in Australia, and we do our best to reflect that same spirit in our operations,” said Maureen Dougherty, president of Boeing Australia and South Pacific. “Australia also loves aviation and aerospace, and Boeing has played and continues to play such an important role here.” With more than 3,000 employees across 27 sites, Boeing Australia has the company’s largest footprint outside the United States. Its strong focus on commercial manufacturing, defense, and research and technology make it both a microcosm of U.S.
Frontiers August 2015 Issue
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