TenCate Advanced Composites, a leading supplier of advanced composite materials for aerospace and industrial applications, has begun production of compression molded parts for the Bell 525 Relentless helicopter program.
On July 1st, this program achieved its first flight. At the current time, there are approximately a dozen parts per aircraft in applications ranging from access doors to engine compartment walls.
Compression molded composite parts provide producer Bell Helicopter with high grade, lightweight and cost saving materials that allow fabrication of complex parts in one efficient molding cycle. The chopped carbon fiber parts build upon Bell Helicopter's experience from several leading edge defense applications, including the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor program.
Matt Cano, Director of Sales at TenCate Advanced Composites in Camarillo, California, United States of America states: "This is a good example of how an industry leader like Bell Helicopter utilizes compression molded parts to achieve cost savings on military programs, and developed an expertise which was able to cross over into civil programs."
The Bell 525 Relentless represents the world's first fly by wire commercial helicopter and features a touchscreen glass cockpit. This helicopter is designed to accommodate 16 passengers and two crew members and can be configured for a variety of mission needs.
Bell Helicopter is a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. and an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell Helicopter's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.
TenCate Advanced Composites is a leader in the development and production of advanced thermoplastic and thermoset prepreg composites for high-end industries. Its product portfolio is incorporated in space, aerospace and automotive products, and numerous other industrial applications. TenCate Advanced Composites has production facilities and operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) is a multinational company that combines textile technology with chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics. TenCate products are sold throughout the world.
Systems and materials from TenCate come under four areas of application: safety and protection; space and aerospace; infrastructure and the environment; sport and recreation. TenCate occupies leading positions in protective fabrics, composites for space and aerospace, antiballistics, geosynthetics and synthetic turf. TenCate is listed on Euronext (AMX).