This article is based on an official press release from Daher.

Daher Wins 2026 JEC Innovation Award for Thermoplastic Wing Rib

On January 12, 2026, the French industrial conglomerate Daher was announced as the winner of the prestigious 2026 JEC Composites Innovation Award in the “Aerospace – Parts” category. The award recognizes the company’s development of a “Highly Loaded Thermoplastic Wing Rib,” a critical structural component designed to meet the rigorous demands of future single-aisle Commercial-Aircraft programs.

According to the company’s announcement, this innovation represents a significant leap forward in the application of thermoplastic composites. While previous applications were often limited to thinner, secondary parts, this project demonstrates the viability of thermoplastics for thick, primary aerostructures that must withstand heavy mechanical loads.

Breaking Boundaries in Composite Manufacturing

The award-winning component is a structural breakthrough for the aerospace industry. Traditionally, primary structures like wing ribs, which maintain the aerodynamic shape of the wing and transfer loads between the skin and spars, have been manufactured using aluminum or thermoset composites that require lengthy autoclave curing cycles.

Daher’s new rib is a thick laminate structure consisting of up to 64 plies, reaching a thickness of approximately 12mm. By successfully manufacturing a part of this density and complexity using thermoplastics, Daher has proven that the material can replace metal in the most demanding areas of an airframe.

Collaborative Development

The project was executed through a strategic consortium involving several key European partners, each contributing specialized expertise to the Manufacturing chain:

• Victrex (UK): Supplied the specific material, a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (CFRTP) using LMPAEK (Low Melt Polyaryletherketone) unidirectional tape.
• LIST (Luxembourg): Developed a novel Infrared (IR) welding process to assemble the rib.
• CETIM (France): Designed the mechanical test bench to validate the component under flight-certification loads.
• AniForm (Netherlands): Provided advanced simulation Software to predict distortion and ensure “first-time-right” manufacturing.

Technical Innovations and Process Efficiency

The success of the “Highly Loaded Thermoplastic Wing Rib” relies on the integration of two patented processes that streamline production and eliminate traditional manufacturing bottlenecks.

First, the rib utilizes Direct Stamping®, a Daher-patented process. According to the press release, this technique eliminates the intermediate “consolidation” step typically required between layering fibers (layup) and the stamping phase. By removing this step, the production cycle is significantly shortened, and energy consumption is reduced.

Second, the assembly utilizes Infrared (IR) Welding, a patent held by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). Instead of using heavy metal rivets or bolts to assemble the rib’s T-shaped profile, the partners used IR welding to create a continuous, integrated composite structure. This approach eliminates the weight of fasteners and improves the overall integrity of the part.

“This JEC Award rewards our commitment to advancing composite technologies for aeronautics. We believe in it: by combining innovative materials and advanced processes, we demonstrate that it is possible to combine performance, competitiveness, and reduction of the carbon footprint.”

, Dominique Bailly, R&D Director at Daher

Performance Metrics and Environmental Impact

The shift to thermoplastics and the elimination of fasteners has yielded quantifiable performance improvements. Data provided by Daher highlights the following metrics for the new wing rib compared to traditional aluminum or bolted metal assemblies:

• Weight Reduction: The component is 22% lighter than its aluminum equivalent.
• Cost Efficiency: Assembly costs are reduced by 15% compared to bolted metal solutions.
• Production Speed: The overall production cycle time is reduced by 25%.
• Sustainability: The technology saves an estimated 12.5 tons of CO₂ per rib over the lifecycle of a single-aisle aircraft.

AirPro News Analysis

The significance of this award extends beyond a single component; it addresses the “holy grail” of next-generation aircraft manufacturing: rate. As Airbus and Boeing look toward successors for the A320 and 737 families, they face the requirement of producing wings at unprecedented rates, potentially 75 to 100 aircraft per month.

Traditional thermoset composites, while light, are chemically slow to cure, creating a bottleneck in the factory. Thermoplastics, which can be stamped, melted, and welded in minutes, are widely viewed as the necessary enabler for these high-rate programs. By demonstrating that thermoplastics can handle the structural loads of a primary wing rib, Daher is positioning itself as a critical supplier for the “Wing of Tomorrow.” Furthermore, the use of induction welding (seen in their 2025 Torsion Box project) and now IR welding suggests Daher is building a diverse toolkit of joining technologies to eliminate rivets entirely from future airframes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LMPAEK?

LMPAEK stands for Low Melt Polyaryletherketone. It is a high-performance thermoplastic polymer that offers high heat resistance and mechanical strength but can be processed at lower temperatures than traditional PEEK, making it faster and more energy-efficient to manufacture.

Why is Infrared (IR) welding important?

IR welding allows for the assembly of composite parts without mechanical fasteners like rivets or bolts. This reduces the overall weight of the aircraft and eliminates the labor-intensive process of drilling thousands of holes, which speeds up production.

What is the primary advantage of thermoplastics over thermosets?

Unlike thermosets, which undergo a permanent chemical change during curing and cannot be reshaped, thermoplastics can be melted and reshaped multiple times. This makes them recyclable and allows for much faster manufacturing cycles (minutes vs. hours).

Sources: Daher