Press Release - Wednesday, June 8th, 2005

Composites Testing Laboratory (CTL) Involved in Testing Programmes for New Airbus A-380

CTL and Irish Composites Partners in €100 Million ALCAS EU Research Programme to Develop New Aircraft Structures

Meet us at the Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, June 13-19th, Stand E2, Hall 4

Composites Testing Laboratory (CTL) and Irish Composites, sister companies based in Galway, Ireland, are involved at the forefront of aerospace composites materials development and research, including testing of components for the new Airbus A-380 “super-jumbo” set to debut at the Paris Air Show next week. Almost 25% of the A-380 airframe is manufactured from light weight composite materials.

CTL and Irish Composites are also partners in a €100 Million, EU-funded, multi-partner research programme ALCAS (Advanced Low Cost Aircraft Structures). The objective of ALCAS is to develop the next generation of low-cost, lightweight aircraft wing structures from advanced composite materials, such as carbon-fibre reinforced polymers.

Both companies will exhibit in the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget next week. CTL and Irish Composites will be represented on the Enterprise Ireland Stand (Stand E2, Hall 4), along with other Irish aerospace companies.

Composites Testing Laboratory (CTL Tástáil Teo.) provides accredited mechanical and physical testing services to leading aerospace companies and manufacturers of composite materials throughout Europe, and has been involved in testing materials and structures for components of the new Airbus A-380:

CTL has carried out mechanical testing and generated material design allowables for customer Patria Aerostructures Oy, who are responsible for design and manufacture of the composite wing spoilers developed for the Airbus A-380.

CTL has also been responsible for First Part Qualification testing of Inboard Outer Fixed Leading Edge (IOFLE) Composite Panels of the Airbus A-380 for customer BAE SYSTEMS Aerostructures, who are responsible for design, development, manufacture and support of the IOFLE structure for the Airbus A-380. This work involved fractography, fibre volume fraction and mechanical testing, to verify the quality of the manufacturing processes and integrity of the IOFLE Composite Panels.

Irish Composites (Éirecomposites Teo.) is an innovative company involved in design, manufacturing and tooling for advanced composites for aerospace and other sectors. The company has particular expertise in the manufacturing and development of thermoplastic composites components.

Irish Composites and its sister company, CTL are both involved in a €100 million EU funded research project ALCAS, aimed at the development of the next generation of low-cost, lightweight aircraft wing structures from advanced composite materials. In the ALCAS project, Irish Composites is responsible for development and manufacturing of thermoplastic composite wingbox structures. CTL is involved in materials characterisation and in structural testing of composite wingbox components. The ALCAS project is led by Airbus UK and Dassault Aviation, and runs from 2005 to 2009, with funding from the European Union Framework 6 Programme.