Boarding completed for sustainability

REHAU Profile Solutions and Silnova impress the aviation industry at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024

24.06.2024

From 28.05. - 30.05.24 it was time again: the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) opened its doors in beautiful Hamburg. The trade fair, which takes place annually, is THE place to be for the aviation industry, the world's leading trade fair for aircraft interiors and was once again well attended this year with around 400 exhibitors. The Profile Solutions and Silnova sub-divisions of the REHAU Group presented the innovations Prototyping@Silnova and RAU-FLIGHT, thus precisely addressing the megatrends of the future: sustainability, resource conservation and efficiency.

Press contact

Yvonne Wunderlich
Rheniumhaus, 95111 Rehau
Tel: +49 9283 772118
yvonne.wunderlich@rehau.com

Under the motto "Manufactured by REHAU & Silnova - Supplied by Decorative Products", REHAU presented its innovations RAU-FLIGHT SIK and RAU-FLIGHT PC, clearly communicating its future direction: the development of components and systems that actively help to save resources.

Visitors were able to experience live how exactly the topic of sustainability is implemented through various strategic initiatives such as membership in the "50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders" series, sustainability reports and high sustainability standards in production.

Because every gram counts

As lightweight construction has always played an important role in aviation, REHAU has developed the innovative lightweight material RAU-FLIGHT. The polymer material reduces the weight of aircraft components by up to 10% - a milestone in an industry in which every gram contributes to improving efficiency and the energy balance.

The specialised and multifunctional teams led by Thomas Wangler, Director/Head of Aerospace REHAU Profile Solutions, and Harald Brandl, Director Sub-Division Silnova, presented the next development stages to the specialist audience with RAU-FLIGHT PA 2.0, PC and SIK, underlining that there are no limits to REHAU's feasibility.

With RAU-FLIGHT SIK, the advantage of weight reduction in particular can now also be realised with a silicone material, which has met with great interest in the industry.

The lightweight material achieves the mechanical values of the approved base materials and enables the technical realisation of end products ready for series production. The lightweight material can be customised to meet specific customer requirements, for example in the context of high-temperature applications. The relevant fire regulations are verified during development and qualification.

Let's close the loop

The use of regrind materials - materials that are sorted and processed and then returned to production as regranulate - has now also been approved by some manufacturers in the aircraft industry.

In future, REHAU will use various production monitoring measures and its own material development to ensure that the combinations of so-called virgin materials + regrind materials are in no way inferior to the previous material qualities in terms of look, feel and mechanical properties.

Synergizing Silicone

Silnova GmbH was once again able to underline its market presence under the claim "Synergizing Silicone" and also brought the topic of "Prototyping@Silnova" to Hamburg. Using this highly efficient technology, prototype samples can be produced within a very short time in a comprehensive dimensional range with the typical properties of silicone. During the test phases, errors can be quickly rectified and different product variants can be tested. This represents a significant potential saving in terms of development time and tool investment.

Award-winning partnerships

Two further trade fair highlights were the contract extension with Vaupell Holdings for the so-called light lenses of the A320 airspace cabin until the end of 2027, as well as the award as Silver Supplier of FACC AG for the 2023 financial year.