Hexcel Corporation has announced a significant breakthrough in thermoplastic composite technology, which will be presented at the Paris Air Show. The company, in collaboration with partners like Arkema and Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH, has developed a highly innovative PEKK/carbon thermoplastics component as part of the HELUES project. This project, supported by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs and the German Aerospace Centre, pioneers a new manufacturing process utilizing high-temperature thermoplastics. The core innovation involves a one-step forming and injection overmolding technology that rapidly creates fully formed, structurally complex components. This advancement is expected to revolutionize aerospace manufacturing by eliminating the need for energy-intensive autoclaves and enabling scalable aircraft production, particularly beneficial for the next generation of high-rate aircraft production.