In addition, HiRPM is now the established manufacturing process for all future F-35 aircraft and is used on select parts within the aircraft’s horizontal tail assembly. Airframe components produced with this innovative process flew for the first time in 2019.
Matrix Composites’ HiPRM technology is a state-of-the-art moulding process for advanced composite materials and offers very specific benefits over more traditional autoclave manufacturing typically used in aerospace and defence. HiPRM is designed for composite manufacturers of smaller and more intricate structures like critical edges, spars, and control surfaces. The company’s past performance on the F-22 Raptor and 26-year heritage in specialised composite processing led Lockheed Martin to select Matrix Composites to field closed moulding technologies on the F-35 programme.
“Our process is ideally suited for small intricate parts requiring high dimensional accuracy. We’re proud to help Lockheed Martin deliver a more effective and efficiently engineered F-35 aircraft,” said David Nesbitt, executive director business development, Matrix Composites.
As a key supplier to the F-35 programme, the Matrix Composite team worked with Lockheed Martin to create the company’s variant of a controlled-volume-moulding (CVM) process.
Benefits of the HiRPM process include:
