Collins Aerospace, a business segment of Raytheon Technologies [RTX], this week said it has acquired Dutch Thermoplastics Components (DTC), a developer and manufacturer of thermoplastic parts used mainly on commercial and business jet aircraft and helicopters.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
DTC, which is based in the Netherlands, manufactures a wide range of parts such as ribs, struts, shear webs, stiffeners, longerons and brackets. The company’s products are found on more than 15 different aircraft types.
Collins said that the acquisition of DTC “will accelerate the execution of its technology roadmap to drive the further expansion of advanced thermoplastic composites for complex aerostructures to make aircraft lighter, safer, stronger, more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. From commercial and military aircraft to urban air mobility and beyond.”
Some of the benefits of thermoplastics include up to a 50 percent weight reduction in structural components versus metal, rapid manufacturing of parts, and assembly using welding that can eliminate the need for fasteners, Collins said.