Holly Thomas, The Boeing Company

Title: Composite Materials and Fabrication History at Boeing and Challenges for the Future

Abstract

Since Boeing adopted advanced composite materials at scale, composites have reshaped commercial and military aircraft design, performance, and lifecycle economics. This keynote traces the evolution of composite materials and fabrication methods at Boeing — from early honeycomb and fiberglass structures through the widespread use of carbon-fiber reinforced polymers and automated fiber placement — and connects historic lessons to the pressing technical, manufacturing, and supply-chain challenges ahead.