SYENSQO TO SUPPLY AIRFRAME MATERIALS FOR NOEMI’S ELECTRIC SEAPLANE

Syensqo, the Brussels-based advanced materials group, has been selected as a materials partner by NOEMI Aerospace for its all-electric amphibious aircraft, which the Norwegian company aims to certify as the world’s first fully electric amphibious seaplane. Designed to carry nine passengers and operate from both water and conventional runways, the aircraft is being developed for regional transport as well as cargo, search and rescue, and medical evacuation missions in areas where conventional aviation infrastructure is limited.

WHY OUT-OF-AUTOCLAVE MANUFACTURING MATTERS HERE

Under the agreement, NOEMI will use Syensqo’s MTM 45-1 carbon fibre prepreg in the airframe alongside AeroPaste structural paste adhesive for wing assembly. An autoclave, the pressurised oven normally used to cure aerospace composite structures, becomes harder and more expensive to use as a single component grows larger, which is why an out-of-autoclave, or OOA, material capable of curing to aerospace standards without one matters for a wing built in one continuous span rather than in smaller bonded sections. “We wanted to manufacture the wing skins and spars in a 21-meter single span, so we needed an out-of-autoclave material with proven performance. With Syensqo’s MTM 45-1, a primary structure capable material with FAA approval and independently verified NCAMP data, we have a solution that will support our certification approach while helping us achieve the low structural weight required for our first prototype aircraft. We will also use Syensqo’s AeroPaste structural adhesive to bond the wing components and achieve the performance we need,” said Simon Bendrey, Chief Engineer, NOEMI Aerospace.

Gerald Perrin, EMEA Sales Director at Syensqo Composite Materials, said: “We are proud that NOEMI Aerospace has selected Syensqo as an advanced materials partner for this pioneering program. Their choice reflects the performance and aerospace heritage of our composite materials, and we look forward to combining our materials expertise and technical support with NOEMI’s ambitious approach to electric aviation.”