The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology has received a prime worldwide aerospace award after a collaborative mission reduce plane wing rib weight by greater than a fifth whereas rushing up manufacturing and decreasing emissions.
The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) has received a prime worldwide award for a collaborative aerospace mission, receiving a JEC Composites Innovation Award 2026 at a ceremony in Paris earlier this month. The award, offered on 12 January throughout the JEC World Premiere occasion, recognises the Highly Loaded Thermoplastic Wing Rib demonstrator, a mission led by aerospace producer Daher in partnership with LIST, Victrex, CETIM, and AniForm.
At the core of the mission is a patented infrared welding expertise developed by LIST’s Structural Composites Unit. The course of permits thick carbon-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic parts to be assembled with out mechanical fasteners, enabling lighter plane constructions, quicker manufacturing, and improved recyclability – key challenges going through the aerospace sector.
According to mission outcomes, the answer delivers a 22% weight discount in contrast with aluminium wing ribs, alongside 15% decrease meeting prices, and manufacturing cycles which can be 25% shorter than bolted assemblies. Over the lifetime of a single-aisle plane, the innovation may cut back CO emissions by an estimated 12.5 tonnes per wing rib.
In a press release, LIST mentioned the award additionally highlights Luxembourg’s broader technique to strengthen its superior supplies ecosystem. National initiatives, together with the National Composite Initiative launched in 2016 and the Sustainable Composite Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Centre led by LIST since 2020, intention to place the nation as a “centre of excellence” for high-value composite manufacturing.
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards, established in 1998, recognise collaborative initiatives with robust industrial and societal influence throughout sectors reminiscent of aerospace, automotive, and power. In 2026, solely 33 finalists had been chosen from a worldwide pool of round 154 submissions.