When planes take off from international airports, there is almost always a piece of voestalpine on board. Because no airplane would take off without our high-tech materials and resilient product solutions.
We have been gathering experience in aviation for over 100 years. As early as 1912, valve cones made of Rapid steel were successfully used for airship construction by Zeppelin and clavier wire by the Böhler brothers for aeroplane construction. Today, we are a sought-after supplier to the international aviation industry. The product range extends from high-performance materials, i.e. rods, profiles, billets, sheets and plates to almost ready-to-install special forgings, which are installed in the fuselage of the aircraft, the engines and also in the landing gear. Our heavy-duty components can withstand large temperature fluctuations as well as rotational forces and mechanical stress. They ensure safety, comfort and efficiency in modern aviation. We are often responsible for all production steps, from melting to finishing, which ensures the highest quality standards.
Our high-quality profiles are used, for example, as structural parts or for seat rails, which anchor the passenger seats in the cabin. Even the rotating components of aircraft turbines, which are subject to the highest stresses in an aircraft, cannot do without our high-tech materials. A major investment in this context is the new special steel plant in Kapfenberg, which supplies the pre-material for the processing voestalpine companies in absolutely top quality. Our drop-forged parts from voestalpine BÖHLER Aerospace for turbine blades or turbine disks, structural parts, landing legs or other load-bearing elements made of high-alloy steels, nickel-based alloys and titanium and our long products (bars, billets, etc.) in a wide range of dimensions also withstand the highest loads and ensure maximum stability and high corrosion resistance with the lowest possible weight. Our special materials are also used for wing side panels, cargo systems and cargo access doors, engines, pylon and engine mounts and landing gear.
The safety of passengers and crew is always the top priority in air travel. No compromises are therefore made when it comes to the quality of the parts and components used and the supplier companies are subject to strict norms and standards. Regular certifications and approvals by official bodies and customers are a basic prerequisite for being allowed to supply the aerospace industry at all.
The producing voestalpine companies have all the necessary certifications as well as the special customer approvals of all well-known aerospace manufacturers. In order to be allowed to continue their business activities in this segment, some companies are statistically audited every week. The voestalpine Roll Forming Corporation is also the only supplier in the world to be certified for the process technology used in the manufacture of seat rails. And the Eifel coating center in Schnaittach, Germany, is also one of the few companies to offer PVD coatings for the airspace industry in accordance with Nadcap and Rolls-Royce SABRe
Like all industries, aviation is also facing major challenges. “Become more sustainable and reduce CO2 ” is the motto! 98% of aviation’s CO2 emissions are generated during aircraft operation. As a supplier, however, we see it as our responsibility to keep the CO2 footprint of aircraft production as low as possible. We therefore work consistently to minimize the environmental impact by recycling scrap, using renewable energy or through the circular economy of by-products. State-of-the-art production technologies are also making components ever lighter and therefore more fuel-efficient. The major aircraft manufacturers are pursuing specific concepts for alternative aircraft propulsion models based on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or green hydrogen. Our materials will continue to be needed for this – albeit in a different way – and can therefore contribute to the decarbonization of aviation.
In addition to steel, composites and other materials are also used in aircraft construction. And we have expertise there too. We are the only manufacturer of titanium sheet for aviation in Europe. In many cases, titanium will gradually replace aluminum, which has been increasingly used to date, as it is more compatible with fuselages made of composite materials. We are now able to join titanium strips and titanium extrusions by laser welding and thus produce seat rails made of the material with a length of up to 10 meters.
By investing in additive manufacturing, we are focusing on another technology of the future for the aviation industry. For example, we can use 3D printing to produce components in a weight-saving and more cost-efficient way compared to conventional processes. Wire arc additive manufacturing, in which titanium wire is welded on in layers, allowing even large components to be built up layer by layer, is already being tested and we have already invested in the future with ALP2 (Additive Layer Plasma Process). Before new production methods can be used, they undergo a very intensive and complex approval process. Critical components for aviation may only be manufactured using a production technology once the series production of non-critical parts is successfully and smoothly possible. This can take more than a decade.
Die voestalpine ist ein weltweit führender Stahl- und Technologiekonzern mit kombinierter Werkstoff- und Verarbeitungskompetenz. Die global tätige Unternehmensgruppe verfügt über rund 500 Konzerngesellschaften und -standorte in mehr als 50 Ländern auf allen fünf Kontinenten. Sie notiert seit 1995 an der Wiener Börse. Mit ihren Premium-Produkt- und Systemlösungen zählt sie zu den führenden Partnern der Automobil- und Hausgeräteindustrie sowie der Luftfahrt- und Öl- & Gasindustrie und ist darüber hinaus Weltmarktführer bei Bahninfrastruktursystemen, bei Werkzeugstahl und Spezialprofilen. Die voestalpine bekennt sich zu den globalen Klimazielen und verfolgt mit greentec steel einen klaren Plan zur Dekarbonisierung der Stahlproduktion.
