Propelling Urban Air Mobility with Lightweight Advanced Composites
Hexcel is at the forefront of the development of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. We are providing the aerospace industry with advanced lightweight composite materials that make energy efficient, reliable, cost-competitive air vehicles a reality.
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) promises to be the next big transportation innovation. Similar to taxis or ride-sharing today, UAM will deliver transportation in the air, removing congestion from our streets and providing a convenient and rapid method to travel within urban centers. Materials have been a key driver of efficiency for aircraft today, and they will be even more important for the emerging UAM marketplace.
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Providing Unmatched Breadth and Depth of Products and Services to the Composites Industry
Hexcel manufactures a full spectrum of advanced material solutions including carbon fiber, reinforcement fabrics and preimpregnated materials as well as honeycomb core, tooling materials and even finished aircraft structures. As a complete composites solutions provider, we are vertically integrated through all phases of our customers’ composite needs for major commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial programs.
Designed to reduce weight and energy consumption while increasing payload and flight range, lightweight Hexcel composite materials will ensure
high-performance during flight and lasting durability.
Explore our resource hub to learn more.
Article
Material Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Air Mobility
Urban Air Mobility promises to be the next big transportation innovation, removing congestion from our streets and providing a convenient and rapid method to travel within urban centers.
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Hexcel is...
- the largest U.S. producer of carbon fiber
- the world’s largest weaver of structural fabrics
- the number one producer of composite materials
such as prepregs, film adhesives and honeycomb
- a leading manufacturer of composite parts and
structures.
Learn more about our products and capabilities by exploring our resource hub below.
RESOURCE HUB
Article
The Advanced Air Mobility Race and Composite Materials
The race is on to enable the next generation of urban transportation and to be the first, or in the first group of vehicles, to be certified by the FAA or EASA.
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Article
Emerging Markets Will Demand High-Rate Production Systems for Advanced Composites
The adoption of advanced composite materials for aerospace applications has been growing steadily since the early 1980s and the reason is clear – they make aircraft lighter, stronger and more durable than heavy metals.
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Article
Carbon Fiber – The Key Building Block of Advanced Composites
Carbon fiber – a key enabling lightweighting technology for air vehicles – must be understood when selecting the appropriate fiber for UAM applications.
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Hexcel and Archer
The future of urban air mobility is coming, and Hexcel will be at the forefront of making zero-emissions travel possible. eVTOL aircraft, such as the Midnight platform by Archer, will operate primarily within cities to help solve growing challenges involving traffic congestion, sustainability, aging infrastructure, and public safety. The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) network is scheduled for launch in 2025, and customers will be able to book a trip directly from their smartphones and board an eVTOL aircraft at the nearest vertiport.
Hexcel is a global leader in advanced lightweight composites technology. Its composite solutions including carbon fiber, honeycomb, reinforcements, resin systems, engineered core and more make a wide range of applications lighter and stronger. From raw materials to fly-away parts, vertical integration is a strength and a differentiator. Hexcel brings many decades of experience in advanced composite material certifications from the FAA. Hear what our customers have to say about their collaboration with Hexcel.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING
Adam Goldstein
Tom Muniz
Vannina Legendre
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Archer Founder and CEO
Adam Goldstein
“From Day 1, the strategy at Archer has always been about finding the most efficient path to commercializing eVTOL aircraft. We believe our strategy and team’s ability to execute on it has allowed us to establish our leadership position in the market and is why we are confident we will be the first company to certify an eVTOL aircraft in the U.S. with the FAA.”
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Chief Operations Officer, Archer
Tom Muniz
“We intentionally chose to partner and leverage the great capabilities that exist in the aerospace supply base today - that speeds our path to market. All the materials that go into our aircraft, like the composite materials we use and all the aircraft structure which come from Hexcel, really enable us to meet our performance goals and our goal of bringing a sustainable product to market. Hexcel is one of our cornerstone suppliers we partnered with very early in the program because it was clear that they were the right partner to help us bring these products to life."
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Vice President, Supply Chain, Archer
Vannina Legendre
“We saw the right level of talent, expertise, capacities and capabilities at Hexcel. Hexcel fostered a very transparent and collaborative environment for discussion, which is something we were looking for.”
Meet our Team
Meet our Urban Air Mobility and Emerging Markets team. We look forward to learning about your unique design needs and helping you implement the best advanced material solution. For additional information, please contact any member of our team, or our customer service department at the link below.
Imad Atallah
Strategic Marketing Director
& UAM Lead
Bob Yancey
Business Development Director,
Emerging Markets
Erin Goodman
Sales Engineer
Contact Us
Product and Capabilities Resources
Hexcel offers a world of composites – an unmatched breadth and depth of products and services to commercial
aerospace, space and defense, and industrial markets.
Hexcel has the greatest number of aerospace qualified products of any composite materials manufacturer worldwide.
Learn about the strength within Hexcel. Read our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
Composite materials will be at the heart of Urban Air Mobility, providing energy efficient, reliable,
and cost-competitive transportation vehicles.
Browse our comprehensive resource library for all the tools and information you need to make the most of
your Hexcel materials.
©2024 Hexcel Corporation
Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced lightweight composites technology. It develops, manufactures and markets lightweight, high-performance structural materials including carbon fibers, specialty reinforcements, prepregs and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, honeycomb, adhesives, engineered core and composite structures for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications.
Delivering a Safe, Reliable eVTOL Platform to Market
Additional Resources
Hexcel offers a world of composites – an unmatched breadth and depth of products and services to commercial
aerospace, space and defense, and industrial markets
Learn about the strength within Hexcel. Read our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
Composite materials will be at the heart of Urban Air Mobility, providing energy efficient, reliable,
and cost-competitive transportation vehicles.
Browse our comprehensive resource library for all the tools and information you need to make the most of
your Hexcel materials.
©2024 Hexcel Corporation
Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced lightweight composites technology. It develops, manufactures and markets lightweight, high-performance structural materials including carbon fibers, specialty reinforcements, prepregs and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, honeycomb, adhesives, engineered core and composite structures for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications.