Webinar: Using Recycled Carbon Fiber Nonwovens to Accelerate AAM Development by Gardner Business Media, Inc. Webinars

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About This Webinar

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is reshaping the future of passenger and cargo transport, prioritizing lightweight and sustainable materials to drive advancements in electric flight and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

In this webinar, Dr. Mandy Clement and Dr. Tim Swait will present a recent collaboration between the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and James Cropper. This pioneering project focused on developing reinforced UAV wing skins that offer strength, lightweight properties and recyclability in equal measure. In the project, the emphasis was on the use of advanced manufacturing techniques, such as tailored fiber placement (TFP), to precisely reinforce critical areas of the UAV wing skin without adding unnecessary weight.

James Cropper’s recycled carbon nonwovens are utilized within the project to facilitate part manufacture via TFP, providing a lightweight substrate for continuous fibers to be stitched to, thereby improving handling during production. The webinar will focus on the project’s main objectives, discussing the challenges and material validation that resulted in the delivery of highly efficient, lightweight UAV structures with sustainable materials integral to the design and successful manufacture.

Presented by:

Agenda

Introduction to the AMRC’s project to develop lightweight, reinforced wing skins for a UAV demonstrator
The selection and testing of materials to support UAV part design and manufacture
An overview of recycled carbon nonwovens covering their structure, supply, key differences from virgin fiber and the benefits they offer
The main conclusions from the project, outputs and next steps

Presenters

Mandy Clement

Technology Manager, James Cropper

Dr. Mandy Clement is the technology manager at James Cropper Advanced Materials (JCAM). With over 20 years of experience, Mandy has successfully led numerous industrial R&D projects, transforming innovative ideas into commercially viable solutions. Under Mandy's leadership, the JCAM Technology Team excels in the research, development and commercialization of advanced nonwoven solutions tailored to market-driven applications. Currently, the team is pioneering the use of recycled materials for AAM and aerospace applications, and developing multifunctional thermoplastic nonwovens aimed at lightweighting. Mandy is a chartered scientist, a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and has a doctorate in chemistry.

Tim Swait

Technical Fellow, AMRC

Dr. Tim Swait is a technical fellow at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). In this role, he has more than 10 years of experience of bringing innovative concepts to application, working with companies from large multinationals to local small businesses to apply cutting edge research to their production processes and manufacturing methods. His main interests are in cure processes and innovative structural concepts particularly the application of structural optimisation while maintaining manufacturability. He has a doctorate in composite materials and a masters in aerospace engineering and is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is also director of Avian Hang Gliders (the UK's only hang glider manufacturer) and was the sport class hang gliding British champion two years running.