MPs marvel at airplane window frames from Hagnau

MPs marvel at airplane window frames from Hagnau

A few days ago, the A350XWB aircraft from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus made its successful maiden flight in France. Never before have so many parts made of the carbon fiber composite material CFRP been used in a passenger aircraft. The window frames are also made of this material. They come from ACE Advanced Composite Engineering GmbH in Hagnau. The three members of the Bundestag, Lothar Riebsamen, Josef Rief and Klaus-Peter Willsch, found out more about this.

At the beginning of aviation, rectangular window frames were used in the first wide-body aircraft. These would not have proved effective due to the high forces during the flight. “Failed window frames caused crashes. Since then and through the invention of modern calculation methods, people have become aware of the safety-relevant importance of window frames in aircraft fuselages,” explains Jürgen Enz, managing director of ACE Advanced Composite Engineering GmbH during a visit to members of the Bundestag. They traveled through the BodenseeAir Aerospace Region at the invitation of the BodenseeDistrict Economic Development Agency. ACE sees itself as a specialist in the construction of lightweight structures made of fibre-reinforced composites. In addition to the development and production of CFRP window frames, ACE also carries out various other structural calculations and development work for aviation. But ACE is also active in the automotive industry and railway technology. ACE currently manufactures body and structural components for Audi, Bugatti, Daimler, Lamborghini, Porsche and VW, among others.

The politicians Klaus-Peter Willsch as chairman of the Aerospace parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Lothar Riebsamen and Josef Rief as members of the constituencies of Lake Constance and Biberach were amazed at the know-how behind the production of these materials. They emphasized how important medium-sized companies such as ACE are for Germany as a business location.

ACE was founded in 2001 by Jürgen Enz and two other shareholders. As former Dornier employees, they set themselves up with a “handful of people” and now employ more than 120 people in Hagnau, Salem-Neufrach and Immenstaad. ACE is also a member of the BodenseeAira aerospace network, which was founded in 2011 on the initiative of the Bodenseekreis Economic Development Agency.