en.Wedoany.com Reported - U.S. ATLAS has developed a hybrid overmolding process that can manufacture tail tip ribs for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in just two minutes. Traditional metal tail tip ribs require up to 80 hours of CNC machining and remove 80% of the material. The thermoplastic overmolding method is not only faster but also enables near-net-shape manufacturing, producing composite components that are 30% lighter than their metal counterparts. Companies such as Joby Aviation have collaborated with ATLAS in the development of this process.
Dr. Waruna Seneviratne, Director of ATLAS and Senior Research Scientist in Composites and Structures, stated at the ACMA Thermoplastic Composites Conference in May this year that many find this speed hard to believe. Currently, there are no standard testing methods for such components in the industry, and ATLAS is working to develop relevant standards. Its certification foundation modules cover material compatibility, quality assurance protocols, and durability and damage tolerance testing.
This process originates from a similar high-speed manufacturing method developed by ATLAS for aircraft window plugs. Located at Wichita State University in Kansas, USA, ATLAS is one of 13 research centers under the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). It is a multidisciplinary manufacturing environment dedicated to developing solutions for the factory of the future and preparing the U.S. workforce for careers in advanced manufacturing.
At the SAMPE 26 conference, ATLAS's Waruna Seneviratne and Jerome Teoh received the first-place Outstanding Technical Paper Award for their related research. The award was jointly presented by Monica Rommel of Specialty Materials and the SAMPE North America (NA) Executive Cabinet, and Ashley Tracey of Boeing and Chair of SAMPE NA for 2025-2026. The paper's co-author is John Tomblin.
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