The inherent characteristics of thermoplastic composites make them ideal materials for lightweight, low-cost aerospace structural components. These composites are renowned for their high toughness, good reprocessability, and excellent fire resistance. Significant progress has been made in several areas for large primary structural parts (e.g., skin-stiffened integral panels). New materials, innovative design concepts, and advanced aviation technologies are the key drivers of innovation.

Due to their unique properties, thermoplastic composites are increasingly favored in the aerospace sector. Their high toughness enables the design of lighter structures; physical processing requires only melting, not curing cycles, enabling fast and stable manufacturing; and their outstanding FST (fire, smoke, toxicity) characteristics along with recyclability are significant advantages. Airbus recently formed a TAPAS project team with the Netherlands. An international Thermoplastic Composites Research Center (TPRC) was also established in the Netherlands in 2009. Nowadays, an increasing number of thermoplastic composite parts and assemblies are being used on the latest aircraft, such as the multi-rib design concept adopted on many aircraft programs and the welded fixed leading edges of the A380 made from Ten Cate's glass fiber/PPS (polyphenylene sulfide).

Thermoplastic composite primary structures are an area that has been explored in the past. The pressure bulkhead panels of the Gulfstream G550 and G650 aircraft are carbon/polyetherimide (PEI) structures with pressure-formed stiffening ribs. The cockpit floor of the Airbus A400M is manufactured from thermoplastic composites. Recently, efforts have begun on welding primary control surfaces. The rudder and elevator of the new Gulfstream G650 business jet (JEC 2010 Innovation Award winner) represent a multi-rib torsion box structure using induction welding. Induction welding is a technology developed by Dutch experts at KVE Composites Group and industrialized by Fokker Aerostructures.

This carbon/PPS (Ten Cate Advanced Composites) multi-rib design achieves a 10% weight reduction and 20% cost reduction compared to previous carbon/epoxy sandwich structures. Welding instead of bonding and bolting is a key factor in cost reduction, along with compression molding of the ribs and simplified layup and co-consolidation of skins and beams.