GE Aviation starts A350-1000 wing FTE manufacturing.

Production of the wing fixed trailing edge package for Airbus’ A350-1000 jetliner has begun at GE Aviation at Hamble (UK).

The first element produced is a spoiler hinge bracket (Spoiler 1 Hinge Bracket shown in the picture), which was manufactured in GE Aviation’s machining facility at Hamble-le-Rice, United Kingdom.

Trevor Higgs (left) Airbus Head of Wing and John Hunt (right), GE Aviation director of Manufacturing Technology.

GE Aviation, Hamble has full responsibility for designing and building the wing fixed trailing edge (WFTE) packages on both the A350-900 and A350-1000 models, comprising more than 3.000 deliverable components per aircraft – involving complex machined parts, structural composite panels and assemblies.

Source: Airbus

New and higher loads for the A350-1000 wing fixed trailing edge implies additional Stress and Design activities –some being performed at satellite GE Engineering centers in Poland and India- as well as concurrence with Manufacturing Engineering and coordination throughout the supply chain. There is a direct link with the A350 XWB engineering plateau established by Airbus at its Filton, UK facility to ensure close and timely collaboration with other risk-sharing partners and agreement on all technical interface requirements.

From the production point of view, GE Aviation Hamble plant is expanding its capacity and refining efficiencies, including an all-new 9.000 m2 Composites production center (will be opened in Q3/2015), which is part of a site investment of more than US$50 million to support future manufacturing and new technology developments.

Based on the press release “GE Aviation, Hamble Initiates Production of the Airbus A350-1000’s Wing Fixed Trailing Edge Package”