Why Sustainability Matters in Aerospace Manufacturing
The aerospace industry is one of many exploring ways to reduce its carbon footprint and adopt more sustainable practices. More and more consumers are naming sustainability among their core values and opting to patronize businesses that prioritize sustainable practices and invest resources into sustainability innovations. In other words, embracing sustainability may be critical to remaining competitive in the aerospace industry.
Many of these practices, such as sustainable materials, lightweighting, and waste reduction, happen at the manufacturing level. Aerospace manufacturing companies can contribute tremendously to the industry’s sustainability efforts by finding ways to leverage and implement sustainable practices.
Sustainable Materials Used in Aerospace Manufacturing
There are many ways to think about sustainability, from fuel consumption to recycling to waste management. One area rife with possibility for the aerospace industry is material selection. Strategic material selection can contribute to a wide range of sustainability goals, such as waste reduction, the use of more natural raw materials, and reduced fuel consumption by way of lightweighting.
Lightweight Materials
Many aircraft manufacturers are choosing lightweight materials as they pursue their sustainability goals. Choosing lightweight materials, or “lightweighting,” brings down the overall weight of the aircraft, which in turn reduces the amount of fuel required to fly the plane. Lightweighting can improve the fuel economy of the aircraft, with the compounding effect of dramatically reducing the fuel consumption of a single aircraft or an entire airline over time.
Bio-Based Composites
The aerospace industry has long relied on carbon fiber for aircraft manufacturing. Carbon fiber is strong, stiff, and durable, making it an excellent material for building airplanes. However, carbon fiber is usually made from fossil fuels, which may not align with some manufacturers’ sustainability goals.
Materials science experts have developed a new class of materials, called carbon composites, that may serve as an excellent alternative to carbon fiber. Carbon composites are strong and lightweight materials that offer many of the same performance attributes without using any fossil fuels. This new class of materials can be made from a wide range of biofibers and bioresins, like sugar cane and crop waste, water algae, bamboo, and others.
Thermoplastic Polymers
Thermoplastic polymers may be an attractive alternative to thermoset polymers and in fact already being used to create tooling and structural parts for fuselages and other components. Unlike thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers are 100% recyclable: This material can be melted and reformed over and over. While a broken or damaged thermoset polymer part must be discarded, a thermoplastic polymer part can be repaired by melting and reforming the damaged area—or recycled in its entirety to make a new part.
Additionally, thermoplastic polymers are lightweight materials compared to alternative options. Choosing thermoplastic polymer materials can be an excellent lightweighting strategy, which contributes to improved overall fuel economy. And because thermoplastic polymer parts can be connected by melting and welding the material together, there is no need for fasteners or other heavy components, which also supports lightweighting goals.
Even the manufacturing process for thermoplastic polymers is more sustainable. There is no need for an autoclave or cold storage, both of which consume considerable energy.
Recycled Materials
Many aircraft manufacturers are focusing their sustainability efforts on recyclable materials that can be returned to their raw state and remade. This includes aluminum, steel, titanium, and even carbon fiber. Choosing these recyclable materials cuts down on overall material consumption and waste production, two important metrics for sustainability.
NMG’s Commitment to Sustainable Manufacturing
NMG Aerospace is committed to exploring and adopting a wide range of sustainable manufacturing practices.
We make a conscious effort to cut down on material waste at our manufacturing facilities. We collect all machining debris, metal chips, and rejected parts, so we can reuse those materials, rather than letting them go to waste. We also place smaller stock orders to minimize leftover materials.
We know that even the smallest steps add up over time, which is why we have adopted a range of both basic and advanced practices for reducing energy consumption on site. For example, every single light bulb is programmed to turn off automatically, so we’re never wasting energy on illuminating an empty room.
Lastly, we have mastered the art of right-sized packaging, so we’re never using more material than necessary when shipping products to our customers. This practice reduces our material consumption and our overall carbon footprint.
Partner with NMG Aerospace
NMG Aerospace has years of experience with innovative design, strategic material selection, and optimized manufacturing practices for the aerospace industry. We can help you explore the possibility of a new design and choose the right material for your product. With our proven expertise in lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, you can trust us to deliver exceptional quality while finding ways to reduce waste and eliminate slowdowns.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore your sustainability options or ready to take your goals to the next level, talk to the team at NMG >
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