Sabic Innovative Plastics is touting its role in helping LSG Sky Chefs and galley equipment maker Norduyn create a new line of ultra-light in-flight trolleys that are aimed at helping to reduce fuel burn consumption and emissions.
Launched at the recent Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, the new full- and half-size trolleys utilize Noryl resin in the frame and critical components to replace metal, "thereby slashing weight by up to 40% and reducing the number of parts by a third", says Sabic. This high-tech engineered plastic also provides non-halogenated flame retardance and enhanced safety with industry-leading flame/smoke/toxicity (FST) performance meeting federal regulations, it adds.
Ultem resin was selected for external components, including profiles that support the frame, due to its resistance to UV light and ability to be custom-colored, allowing Norduyn and LSG Sky Chefs to offer trolleys in airlines' brand colors.
Sabic provided one-stop shopping for these products for LSG Sky Chefs and Norduyn. The company "delivered exactly what we needed", says LSG Sky Chefs head of engineering Thomas Kohler, adding that, by using the Ultem and Noryl materials, the firm is "doing our part to help the environment by cutting fuel usage resulting in lower emissions".
Separately, Sabic has created a solution to replace heavier airline-grade die-cast and machined aluminum for aircraft interior components in a bid to slash weight by up to 50%.
The firm is working with Vaupell, a global contract manufacturer of customer injection-molded components and assemblies, to validate the new Ultem resin materials in aircraft tray table arm components.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
