Continuous-Fiber & Long-Fiber Thermoplastic Composite Molding for Aerospace Structures

Metallic brackets, clips, and struts inside USAF fighters, legacy UAS, and the emerging NGAD family-of-systems drive cost, lead-time, and weight while relying on titanium and aluminum supply chains anchored in China and Russia. ARRIS Composites proposes a Direct-to-Phase II effort that will redesign, manufacture, and test two existing high-impact metallic components—one titanium-based, one aluminum-based—using the company’s proven Additive Molding (continuous-fiber compression) and Cross-Scale (long-fiber injection) thermoplastic-composite molding processes. ARRIS' technologies are currently used in consumer and commercial parts, but adoption has not yet made it to the DAF.  Additive Molding robotically aligns continuous carbon fibers along topology-optimized load paths, then consolidates the preform in a matched-metal press, achieving titanium-level strength with up to 82% weight reduction and < 0.5 % porosity. Cross-Scale achieves 5–10 mm fiber length using standard injection molding hardware, delivering aluminum-level stiffness and strength at half the density and fast cycle times.   Phase II plan:Partner with DAF to down-select two metallic fighter/UAS parts suffering from weight or supply-chain pain points. Re-engineer each part in CFRTP (carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites), targeting >40 % mass drop while meeting or exceeding performance requirements. Manufacture proof-of-concept parts to validate design and manufacturing tooling. Set up a production cell to support production-level requirements for each part documenting detailed setup and throughput metrics. Manufacture production-level parts Validate part performance through static, fatigue, vibration, and thermal testing in accordance with MIL-STD-810, and delivering prototype parts along with fully costed Bill of Materials  Commercial feasibility and risk mitigation are robustly demonstrated: Arris’ processes already produce > 1 million consumer parts per year—e.g., carbon spokes launched with Specialized and high-load rocker brackets for Trek—demonstrating TRL 7-9 manufacturing maturity. Arris currently operates qualified composite production lines for global OEMs and three leading defense primes have provided Letters of Intent supporting the transition to Phase III and beyond.  By fusing consumer-grade throughput with aerospace-grade performance and traceability, this project will offer the Air Force a U.S.-based solution for lightweight, cost-effective, and sustainable aircraft structures for both legacy-platform sustainment and next generation aircraft and UAS.