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The Paris International Airshow, held this year from June 19-25, always provides a diverse selection of companies within the global aerospace industry. Aerospace Manufacturing looks at what some of the exhibitors will be offering at the event.

We begin our rundown of exhibitors with The Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) (UK Pavilion, hall 2B, stand F172), who will once again exhibit at the event with its member stand set to offer the biggest and best Paris Airshow presence yet. The MAA has built a strong reputation at Airshows and that’s why visitors know it’s a key stand to visit, which benefits all companies exhibiting alongside it. The 19 MAA members exhibiting are showcasing many products and services.

Also in the MAA Pavilion is the HR Smith Group. The company has a wide range of capabilities in airborne antennas, static dischargers, radomes, emergency locator transmitters, direction finding systems, and avionics test sets. It has a full certifications, which includes BS EN ISO 9001, EN9100, AS9100 Rev B, CAA Part 21, CAA/EASA Part 145, and UKMOD DAOS. In addition, many of its products carry specific TSO, ETSO, FAA, and OEM approvals. The Group’s vision is to be the leaders in creating innovative products that anticipate and revolutionise the aviation industry safety needs.

Wallwork Group will join other champions of UK industry on the MAA Pavilion. The company will show how its heat treatments, PVD coatings, vacuum brazing, and plasma nitriding services improve the performance of compressor blades, blisks, disks, bearings, fasteners, honeycomb seals and more. For example, the recently introduced OTEC SF-HP stream finishing machine can process large workpieces up to 810mm in diameter and weighing up to 200kg. Ideal for stream finishing parts such as landing gear components, highly loaded gears, blades, complete blisks and disks with great accuracy. Stream finishing machines from OTEC are compact to minimise floor space requirements and have a range of options for automating loading and unloading, including robots. They come with standard Industry 4.0 capabilities that can be enhanced with an advanced I4.0 package for even greater control over digitisation, machine monitoring, remote maintenance and process optimisation. In addition, digital twin technology is currently being developed for future deployment.

Who takes a car to an Airshow? The Structural Battery Company (MAA Pavilion) is a new SME breaking into the aerospace sector with, you guessed it, structural batteries. The idea originated in 2018 and was developed through research at Cranfield University linked to the Advanced Motorsport Engineering course. The business was founded in 2022 once it was clear the technology had both promise and a market. In conversation with the Civil Aviation Authority, a technology development path was agreed, beginning with an electric vehicle, followed by drones and eVTOL aircraft. The company partnered with a niche vehicle manufacturer seeking to add an EV to their existing range. The Aerospace Unlocking Potential programme provided £100,000 to develop this electric vehicle supercar as proof of concept, demonstrating that structural batteries can power the vehicle whilst absorbing the mechanical load.

Moving on, Sigma (MAA Pavilion) is a leading manufacturer of rigid pipes, ducting, fabrications, sub-assemblies, sheet details and machined parts for the airframe, power and systems and services sectors. With facilities in the UK and China, the company offers fully Nadcap accredited supporting services such as welding, surface treatments, NDT and specialist finishing with the capability to manufacture its own tooling. Sigma provides a complete build to print solution utilising its vertically integrated global supply chain, manufacturing parts from a range of materials such as aluminium, stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, and other exotic metals.

Also in the MAA Pavilion is CloudNC. The company develops and applies advanced software to reinvent precision manufacturing. Its technology automates many of the manual steps involved in manufacturing components and parts, helping companies make products more efficiently and consistently. This means when a company manufactures a component through CloudNC, they can rest assured that no time, expertise or resources were wasted during the machining process.

Next up is the University of Nottingham, who will showcase within the MAA Pavilion its expertise, capabilities and facilities at the Airshow. The University of Nottingham is a major centre for aerospace manufacturing R&D and works in partnership with regional, national and global aerospace companies and aviation leaders to develop net zero, clean aviation technologies. The University’s Precision Manufacturing Centre is home to some of the most advanced precision manufacturing machines in the world managed by a team of expert engineers and technicians. It supports the complete manufacturing lifecycle including digital engineering, component manufacture, high precision assembly and verification and inspection.

Meanwhile, Spincraft (MAA Pavilion) leverages advanced metalforming technologies to manufacture single-source solutions. Using spin forming, expansion forming and adjacent, vertically integrated processes, Spincraft produces complex components to the exacting needs of its customers. Spincraft is exhibiting in-person and virtually a selection of its solutions for the sector.

Helix (MAA Pavilion) has simulated over 100 e-motor propulsion designs to minimise the flight mission energy burn for an eVTOL application. This system-level approach enabled the dominant impact of powertrain mass and package size on the mission energy burn to be quantified. Helix is now manufacturing demonstrator hardware sets of the 125kW integrated transmission scheduled for testing in September this year. Delivery of this optimised powertrain is a significant step towards its vision to provide the lightest and most power-dense aerospace powertrains in the world.

Finally within the MAA Pavilion, Maycast-Nokes, a leading manufacturer of precision castings will announce its diversification into new markets, as well as a range of exciting new developments that will bring significant benefits to its customers. The company says it has also invested in a new core blowing machine, which will enable it to produce complex internal structures with even greater precision and consistency. In addition, Maycast-Nokes is currently developing a new planning (ERP) system, which will enable it to manage its operations more efficiently and effectively.

CGTech (hall 4, stand E92) will showcase its expanded range of software applications for the aerospace industry. VERICUT is the industry standard for simulating CNC machining to detect errors, potential collisions, and areas for improvement. The software operates independently, but also integrates with all leading CAM systems. VERICUT is widely used in aerospace and defence and the latest release, VERICUT 9.3, boasts enhancements to the core software that create ‘smarter’, more efficient manufacturing processes. In addition, CGTech will be demonstrating its VERICUT Force optimisation module, which reduces machining times by as much as 30-70% while also extending the life of cutting tools. Finally, CGTech will exhibit the latest versions of VERICUT Composites Programming (VCP) & Simulation (VCS) software. 

Elsewhere, OTEC Präzisionsfinish (hall 4, stand BC93) will show how the exacting aerospace standards for surface finishing are being met by the latest generation of OTEC machines, capable of processing even larger components with greater control and precision. The company’s global supply network includes UK-based Fintek.

In the same hall, machine tool manufacturer, WFL Millturn Technologies (hall 4, stand A26) is a leading supplier of complete machining, including multifunctional turning-boring-milling CNC machining centres. The aerospace industry represents an important industry for WFL. Small batches of complex workpieces are standard in the aerospace industry. The company says it can adapt its MILLTURNs precisely to the requirements of its customers.

Toray Industries (Chalet A120) says it will actively engage in discussions on advancements and investments in carbon fibre and composite material technologies with industry partners, customers and research institutes. Toray continues its commitment to enable performance, sustainability, and application advances in the ever-evolving aerospace industry, through industry dialogue and ongoing partnerships. This event provides a platform for Toray Industries to showcase its expertise and reinforce their position as a key player in revolutionising the industry with innovative solutions.

Ansys (Chalet 216) works with some of the world’s most innovative companies, across many industries, giving engineers the ability to explore and predict how products will work in the real world. By leveraging Ansys’ diverse range of simulation solutions, producers can speed time to market, lower costs, improve quality and lower risk. Ansys will showcase a range of solutions, products and customer stories across the aerospace industry, highlighting its involvement in some of the most important issues of our time.

The Aerospace Wales Forum (hall 2b, stand G155) is the trade association for all companies operating in the aerospace, space and defence sectors in Wales. These industries are hugely important for Wales with more than 180 companies based in the country employing around 23,000 people. Alongside Welsh Government and Cardiff Airport, the association will be joined by several other companies at the Airshow to showcase the varied and exciting companies that are based in Wales.

Specialising in test equipment and aerodynamic testing, EvoMesure (hall 2B, stand B103) will present a range of test equipment. Visitors to its booth will have the opportunity to explore a range of Pitot Static benches, as well as an array of Pitot Static adapters for all types of aircraft. In addition to this avionics test equipment, EvoMesure will also present its aerodynamic solutions.

Show visitors will discover how next-generation digital technology from Hexagon (hall 2B, stand D185) delivers the solutions needed to overcome aerospace manufacturing challenges. Tools and solutions from Hexagon touch the development and production of 90% of all aircraft produced today. Its simulation, production software and quality inspection portfolio spans every stage of the manufacturing value chain. Tailored into configurable, and scalable toolkits, its capabilities offer aerospace companies what they need to begin building or finalise their digital ecosystem. By combining information from the real and the digital worlds, companies can transform the process of R&D, design, engineering, validation, manufacturing, quality control, delivery, service become a unified thread joined with real-time data from every process point using Hexagon’s conventional and automated metrology solutions to provide actionable insights now and to build with for the future.

Finally, SAM NI Precision Engineering (hall 2C, stand D341) offers a fully-integrated solution for all CNC milling requirements. The SAM NI ‘Value Chain’ from enquiry to product delivery is a proven methodology, achieving world-class delivery, quality and customer service expectations at competitive prices. The company’s machining centres can machine parts as large as 3.4m in length. This is supported by a range of special process and NDT capabilities to provide a one-stop manufacturing service for customers.

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