Airbus Germany started work on a major wing component for the A350 XWB at its production facility in Stade on August 31 in a ceremony attended by Airbus CEO Tom Enders, as well as senior German government officials.
The first component being manufactured for the A350 in Germany is an upper wing shell for the aircraft made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The component will be manufactured using automated tape laying technology before undergoing polymerisation in an autoclave. At a size of 32 x 6m, it is the largest CFRP component ever to be built by Airbus.
Airbus’s Stade facility is also used to make stringers, CFRP fuselage shells and the vertical tailplane for the A350.
