Revitalization of Aircraft Carbon Fiber Composites in New Additively Manufactured Parts

During Phase I of this NAVAIR STTR program, NanoSonic physically developed a commercially viable process for carbon fiber composite reclamation via scalable (> 8,000 lb/year), safe (non-toxic), and environmentally friendly (fiber and reagent reuse) methodologies.  Our mild chemical and low temperature recycling method was used successfully with both commercial and aircraft-grade epoxy-based resin carbon fiber composites.  Together, NanoSonic and our STTR partner, Virginia Tech, demonstrated that this gentle process does not degrade the carbon fibers for reuse with feasibility for near-net strength of the original composites.  We have demonstrated reuse of the fibers using several additive manufacturing (AM) methods (filament winding and 3D printing) and an innovative breakthrough technology that keeps the fibers aligned during and after the reclamation process.  NanoSonic has partnered with VT, Honeywell Special Projects, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LM Aero), and Northrop Grumman Undersea Systems (NGUS) to establish a customer base that encompasses a range of fibers (from carbon to Spectra) for multiple commercial, military, and aerospace platforms.  During Phase II of this program, this carbon fiber reclamation process shall be initially developed for end-of-life aircraft parts and scraps from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and aerial targets that support of NAVAIR’s PMA-208 program (such as the BQM-177A).  The BQM-177A is an advanced, high-subsonic, recoverable aerial target equipped with sea-skimming capabilities and a high payload capacity due to the extensive use of carbon-fiber composites in its external payload bodies.