Hexcel and Web Industries team up for aerospace products

Material manufacturer Hexcel Corporation and Web Industries, have announced the signing of a long-term supply agreement under which Web Industries will convert Hexcel’s hexply carbon fibre prepreg into slit tape for various aerospace programs including the Airbus A350 XWB. As part of this agreement, Web Industries will establish and operate a dedicated ‘world class’ slitting operation within Hexcel’s newly expanded prepreg facility in Stade, Germany.

Using its proprietary carbon fibre slit tape technology and processes, Web Industries will convert Hexcel’s carbon fibre prepreg into various formats of precision slit tape. This is used on automated fibre placement manufacturing lines to make many of the composite structures found on the latest aircraft programs. These prepregs require strict operational and environmental conditions and co-locating the slit tape operation within Hexcel’s Stade plant will provide high environmental control and quality assurance.

Construction on Web Industries’ facility should be completed by May 2012, and commercial scale production is expected to ramp up by December. The operation will eventually employ up to 70 people.

www.hexcel.com
www.webindustries.com