Boeing to Build "Plastic" Planes

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Jan 12, 2005 12:53PM

On Tuesday, Chicago-based Boeing revealed their new plans for a fuselage section that was cast as one piece of carbon fiber. This is a critical first step in building a 7E7 jet, composed mostly of the carbon-fiber composites, a mixture of fabric and resin kind of like fiberglass. Boeing says the new fuselage is a milestone in the development of the 7E7 - and in the history of flight, itself.

But that's not all - the plane will also be built in a new way. Right now when Boeing builds metal planes, they start with a steel framework and rivet curved aluminum panels to it. This process is labor intensive and requires thousands of parts, most of them tiny fasteners. WIth the new plane, Boeing will cast complete sections, or barrels, one piece. There's a machine that will wrap carbon-fiber tape around a form, then reinfocing composite stringers are attached on the inside and a glossy outer shell is laid over the top. The piece is then vacuum-sealed to remove air from the layers and the whole thing is baked in a high-tech oven. This new process vastly simplifies the assembly of a plane.

The first 7E7 is likely to be assembled in late 2006 or early 2007, with the jet going into airline service in the first half of 2008.

Composites are a big leap forward in the industry since they're 15-20% lighter than aluminum and don't wear out as fast. The problem thus far has been finding an effective way to produce them.

If you're a big aviation nerd, the Trib has a great special section. It includes a video of how the fuselage is made, a special Battle For the Skies report, a photo gallery, graphics on the advantages of the 7E7, how it's made, air war evolution, efficiency, and international influence.

Computer generated drawing of 7E7 with the paint scheme of Italy-based charter carrier Blue Panorama via AP