This article is published in Aviation Week & Space Technology and is free to read until May 16, 2025. If you want to read more articles from this publication, please click the link to subscribe.
Collins, Materialise Target Longer-Than-Expected Aircraft Service Life
HAMBURG—Seat supplier Collins Aerospace has introduced ways to refresh economy-class seats, while additive manufacturing specialist Materialise offers to build components on-demand for seat repair.
Albeit independent, the two companies thus signal a growing need: Due to delivery delays from airframers, aircraft may stay in service longer than expected. Their cabins need to remain functional at minimal cost. Hence the expanding necessity to exchange worn-out or broken parts.
Collins offers three solutions for its aging Pinnacle seats. They can be upgraded to the Pinnacle Aspire level, which includes replacing arm caps, endbay covers (a part that encloses the structure and finishes the look of the seat’s side), seat cushions and seat covers. Options such as inflight entertainment displays and tablet holders are available. That level reuses 80-90% of the seat, Sean Lyons, VP of business development at Collins, said at the recent Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg.
The Pinnacle Aspire+ solution is more extensive, with seat back replacement and more comfort accessories. It reuses 75% of the seat. The Pinnacle MiQ level transforms the triple seat into a two-seat configuration for premium economy class. The Pinnacle MiQ upgrade reuses 60% of the hardware.
Collins is working on the certification of its new upgraded products. For a carrier choosing to refresh seats with one of them, the project may spread over 12-18 months from kickoff to re-entry into service of the aircraft. The upgrade may fit into a heavy maintenance check or, if specifically done, involves one or two weeks of downtime, Lyons said.
Meanwhile, Leuven, Belgium-based Materialise has partnered with Munich’s engineering consultancy Stirling Dynamics, which has expertise in cabin retrofit and repair. Stirling hears airline problems and asks Materialise for 3D-printed replacement parts, often to keep the aircraft longer in service, Erik de Zeeuw, Materialise’s project engineering manager, said at AIX.
Materialise also manufactures bespoke components such as spacers to fit between overhead baggage bins in a Finnair Airbus A320. For Pegasus Airlines, it has created a lighter-weight, easier-to-install cover for the emergency lever inside aircraft doors. For Airbus, the company produces small, complex-shape parts, such as drain funnels.
Related Content
