DECEMBER - JANUARY19MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSCXO INSIGHTSMOVING TO AGILE MANUFACTURING OF COMPOSITESBy Bob Yancey, Business Development Director, Hexcel Corporation [NYSE:HXL]The defense industry has been moving more quickly to adopt new technologies to stay abreast of competitive threats from adversaries. While many of these technologies revolve around using more manufacturing automation and analytics to get new products and systems to the warfighter faster, others are focused on aerospace systems and next-generation advanced composite materials that are lightweight, strong, and durable ­ leading to the development of systems that increase range, lower operational costs, and carry more payload. At Hexcel, we develop innovative manufacturing technologies and advanced composite materials and systems for the defense aerospace industry that meet the needs for agile, high-rate manufacturing and responsiveness. Increasingly, the focus is on high-rate composites manufacturing for emerging platforms for unmanned systems. Here are some of the technologies and material systems Hexcel is currently developing:· Additive Manufacturing­3D printing technology is a mature technology that has been used for decades for prototyping, tooling, jigs, fixtures, and non-structural parts. Additive manufacturing is attractive for production structural applications because it is agile by nature and can eliminate tooling. It also allows systems designs to quickly evolve and adapt to Bob Yancey
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