CNC West Dec jan 2019

54 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST December 2018/January 2019 Boeing and ELG Carbon Fibre recently an- nounced a partnership to recycle excess aerospace- grade composite material, which will be used by other companies to make products such as electronic acces- sories and automotive equipment. The agreement – the first of its kind for the aero- space industry – covers excess carbon fiber from 11 Boeing airplane manufacturing sites and will reduce solid waste by more than one million pounds a year. Carbon-fiber reinforced material is extremely strong and lightweight, making it attractive for a va- riety of uses, including in building the super-efficient 787 Dreamliner and the all-new 777X airplane. As the largest user of aerospace-grade compos- ites from its commercial and defense programs, Boe- ing has been working for several years to create an economically viable carbon fiber reuse industry. The company improved its production methods to mini- mize excess and developed a model for collecting scrap material. But technical barriers stood in the way of repur- posing material that had already been “cured” or prepped for use in the airplane manufacturing pro- cess. UK-based ELG developed a proprietary method to recycle “cured” composites so they do not have to be thrown out. “Recycling cured carbon fiber was not possible just a few years ago,” said Tia Benson Tolle, Boeing Materials & Fabrication director for Product Strategy & Future Airplane Development. “We are excited to collaborate with ELG and leverage innovative recy- cling methods to work toward a vision where no com- posite scrap will be sent to landfills.” To prove that the recycling method can be applied on a grand scale, Boeing and ELG conducted a pilot project where they recycled excess material from Boe- Boeing, ELG Carbon Fibre Find New Life For Airplane Structure Material in Groundbreaking Partnership First-agreement of its kind will repurpose aerospace-grade composite material for making laptop cases, car parts and other products Partnership will reduce solid waste by more than one million pounds a year ing’s Composite Wing Center in Everett, Wash., where the massive wings for the 777X airplane are made. ELG put the excess materials through treatment in a furnace, which vaporizes the resin that holds the car- bon fiber layers together and leaves behind clean ma- terial. Over the course of 18 months, the companies saved 1.5 million pounds of carbon fiber, which was cleaned and sold to companies in the electronics and ground transportation industries. “Security of supply is extremely important when considering using these materials in long-term automo- tive and electronic projects,” said Frazer Barnes, man- aging director of ELG Carbon Fibre. “This agreement gives us the ability to provide that assurance, which gives our customers the confidence to use recycled ma- terials.” Based on the success of the pilot project, Boeing says the new agreement should save a majority of the excess composite material from its 11 sites, which will support the company’s goal to reduce solid waste going to landfills 20 percent by 2025. “This collaboration takes Boeing’s commitment to protect the environment to a whole new level. Recy- cling composites will eventually be as commonplace as recycling aluminum and titanium,” said Kevin Bar- telson, 777 Wing Operations leader. Boeing and ELG are considering expanding the agreement to include excess material from three ad- ditional Boeing sites in Canada, China and Malaysia. As a result of the partnership, ELG estimates the number of its employees will nearly triple from 39 in 2016 to an expected 112 by the end of 2019 as the re- cycling market continues to expand.