Life Cycle Assessment and Costing of Thermoplastic Composite Aircraft Component with Digital-Assisted Repair Technologies
Abstract
The GENEX project is redefining aerospace sustainability through thermoplastic composite components and digital-assisted repair technologies. Addressing key industry challenges—high manufacturing costs, energy use, waste, and non-recyclable materials—GENEX introduces a holistic approach combining advanced manufacturing, integral health monitoring, and digitally assisted repair. What’s new?✅ Recyclable composites manufactured via AFP out-of-autoclave processes, reducing waste and energy consumption.✅ Embedded sensors & digital twins for real-time structural health monitoring and predictive maintenance.✅ Smart repair solutions with laser cleaning, scarfing assistance, and optimized heating control. Impact at a glance:🔹 Up to 37% reduction in Life Cycle Cost (LCC) in advanced scenarios—surpassing project targets.🔹 Significant environmental gains, with cradle-to-gate impact reductions of up to 49% thanks to lower energy use and digitalization.🔹 Major savings during use phase through reduced inspections and downtime.
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1Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 Life Cycle Assessment and Costing of Thermoplastic Composite Aircraft Component with Digital-Assisted Repair Technologies Evangelia Stamkopoulou1, Anastasia Gkika1, Emmanouil Markakis1, Foteini Petrakli1, Elias P. Koumoulos1 1Innovation in Research and Engineering Solutions SNC (IRES), Brussels, Belgium 14-17 October 2025, Madrid, Spain
2 Content Overview PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 Challenges Technology description System boundaries Life Cycle Impact Assessment Life Cycle Cost Assessment Conclusions References 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN Case study
3 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 GENEX: Challenges addressed Composites manufacturing •High cost •energy use •waste Inspection •Manual •Time consuming •Costly Repair •Manual •High cost •AOG cost Sustainability •Non-recyclable materials (thermoset) 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN
4 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 GENEX: Challenges addressed 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN Technological Assets Concept
5 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 Case Study: C spar (1m) 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN C spar Materials Manufacturing Technology Project partners involved Conventional Commercial CF - epoxy prepreg ATL + autoclave AERNOVA Genex Commercial CF and 3R resin AFP + oven CIDETEC, AIMEN *Commercial CF: Faserverbundwerkstoffe GmbH, IM - Hexcel IMA M21E - CF *Epoxy resin: Araldite® PY 306, ARALDITE® MY 721, Phenoxy PK HP-200
6 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 Technology description 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN AFP manufacturing process for an outof-autoclave laminate →eliminates waste, Reduces resources Digitally assisted scarf repairing → Reduces repairing time and waste Measuring DoC of 3R composite plies CF-3R tapes with customized Tg ATL of 3R-tapes for in situ consolidation and curing Measuring DoC of 3R-prepreg tapes Smart bondlines Online control of repair heating process Deviation of target Visual assisted scarfing Laser cleaning Portable LIBS cleaning system
7 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 System boundaries design 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN Energy Energy Energy Energy Waste From cradle …. …to gate Raw materials acquisition Manufacturing of raw materials Composite manufacturing Use phase Waste Waste Waste
8 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 Life Cycle Impact Assessment – 1 m C spar manufacturing 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN ❑Carbon fibres (CFs) the highest contributor to the total CC by 68.7% in GENEX → higher quantity is used compared to the Conventional one ❑Oven energy impacts is 10% to the total CC in GENEX → 2% lower than autoclave even though GENEX production time is double compared to autoclave process ❑Higher TRL will reduce the GENEX composite manufacturing impacts 0.8% higher 8% lower 67.8% 10.6% 12% 10% 9.5% 68.7% 75% 11%
9 PROJECT G.A. No 10105682 Life Cycle Cost Assessment – Manufacturing cost analysis 14-17 OCTOBER 2025, MADRID, SPAIN ❑Raw materials the dominant cost category raising the cost in GENEX inventory ❑70% of the GENEX cost is attributed to the sensors ❑Higher TRL will reduce the GENEX composite manufacturing cost
16 THANK YOU! SILVERSQUARE EUROPE, Square de Meeûs 35 - Brussels, Belgium 1000 [email protected] innovation-res.eu/ innovationreseu ires PROJECT G.A. No 10105682
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