Liebherr Focuses on Smaller Actuators and Thinner Wings

Liebherr Aerospace is targeting research and development investments in small-scale electromechanical actuators for advanced air mobility vehicles, as well as for light aircraft, business jets, and helicopters. The European group seeks to leverage expertise accumulated from producing the technology, including the associated electronic systems, for larger commercial aircraft that have collectively logged millions of flight hours.

At the Singapore Airshow, the latest actuators are part of a focus on technology advances by Liebherr’s engineering team. The Toulouse-based group is also exhibiting the latest versions of its air cycle machines for airliner air conditioning systems, signaling the move away from pneumatic technology towards electrical or mechanical operations.

Liebherr is contributing to industry efforts to develop longer, thinner wings that could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from flights. At the show, the company is demonstrating a 1:6-scale model of a mechanism that allows wingtips to fold upward to ensure continued access to airport gates and other existing infrastructure.

Service Center Improvements

In Singapore, Liebherr operates a service center to support aircraft operators across the Asia-Pacific region. The facility now features a new high-performance test cell for components as well as repair and overhaul capability for heat transfer equipment.

In December, Liebherr’s Singapore subsidiary started using a protection coating process for heat exchanger components. This involved a trivalent chromium system and a post-application conversion sealer to give longer-term protection for the hardware.

The new process is compliant with the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals regulations. These are intended to protect against environmental damage and employee health risks.

During the third quarter of this year, Liebherr is rolling out the technology in other factory-owned service centers, including its site in Shanghai. It will also require it for third-party maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers that support its equipment.