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Clean Aviation’s (formerly Clean Sky 2’s) Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) project has spanned 10 years and produced one of the largest aircraft structures fabricated from thermoplastic composites (TPC). The MFFD is an 8 × 4-meter-diameter fuselage section that demonstrates numerous composites manufacturing technologies including “dustless assembly”via conduction welding, continuous ultrasonic welding and resistance welding. One of the project’s goals is to explore alternatives to the multistep process chain, labor, time, cost and weight of drilling holes and installing fasteners in composite primary structures. It also seeks to advance the maturity of thermoplastic processes that promise high-rate production and more sustainable manufacturing that can re-use production waste.

CW has reported on the MFFD for years via multiple articles, most recently offering an extensive look at the final assembly for the project.

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Proving out LMPAEK welding for Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator

Clean Sky 2 STUNNING project manufactures lower thermoplastic fuselage while MECATESTERS tests LMPAEK in conduction and induction welding for parameters, cyclic loading, aging and environmental effects.

Moving forward on the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD)

Clean Sky 2’s MFFD program continues to move toward its goal of delivering a welded, thermoplastic composite fuselage demonstrator using next-generation manufacturing processes.

Manufacturing the upper half of the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD)

Proving industrial reliability for low-cost thermoplastic composites production using AFP in situ consolidation, as well as continuous ultrasonic and resistance welding.

Thermoplastic composites welding advances for more sustainable airframes

Multiple demonstrators help various welding technologies approach TRL 6 in the quest for lighter weight, lower cost.

Thermoplastic composites welding: Process control, certification, crack arresters and surface prep

Ongoing developments in the push for more widespread use of welded composite structures.

MFFD thermoplastic floor beams — OOA consolidation for next-gen TPC aerostructures

GKN Fokker and Mikrosam develop AFP for the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator’s floor beams and OOA consolidation of 6-meter spars for TPC rudders, elevators and tails.

Manufacturing the MFFD thermoplastic composite fuselage

Demonstrator’s upper, lower shells and assembly prove materials and new processes for lighter, cheaper and more sustainable high-rate future aircraft.

Assembling the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator: The final welds

Building the all-thermoplastic composite fuselage demonstrator comes to an end with continuous ultrasonic welding of the RH longitudinal fuselage joint and resistance welding for coupling of the fuselage frames across the upper and lower halves.