Premium AEROTEC delivers first door frame made of CFRP for the A350-1000

Compared to the conventional door and gate frames made of metal, the CFRP frame construction not only saves costs but also weight. Approximately 65 Premium AEROTEC employees were involved in the production of the door frame structure. Overall, each A350 aircraft will be fitted with seven door and gate frames from Varel. The CFRP portion of the door frame amounts to 85 percent, the remaining 15 percent consist of titanium and aluminium. The CFRP parts are manufactured at Premium AEROTEC’s Augsburg plant, assembly of the entire door surrounding takes place in Varel.

“We are pleased that the door frame with its high quality is ready on time. This door frame was produced with a completely new technology, which was associated with special challenges for all divisions involved”, said Gerd Weber, Site Manager of Premium AEROTEC in Varel, at a ceremony. In addition to representatives of Airbus as customer, employees of the Varel door and gate frame assembly as well as the A350 section assembly of the Nordenham site attended this ceremony. Mr. Weber thanked the employees of all involved divisions for their achievements.

Oliver Theilken, Head of the Door and Gate Frame Assembly in Varel, also highlighted the excellent performance of his team and the good cooperation with the other involved divisions: “The completely new design was a challenging task. But we succeeded in developing a viable industrial concept, not least thanks to the relevant expertise established at the Varel site.”

After its delivery, the A350-1000 door frame will complete section 13/14 at Premium AEROTEC in Nordenham. “We in Nordenham are also well prepared and our production of the skin sections and shells is well in line with the schedule,” said Dirk Hauer, Head of the A350 Assembly in Nordenham.

Premium AEROTEC generated revenues of around 1.6 billion euros in 2013. The company’s core business lies in the development and production of metal and carbon fibre composite aircraft structures, as well as the associated equipment and production systems. The company has manufacturing sites in Augsburg, Bremen, Nordenham and Varel in Germany, as well as in Braşov in Romania.