PCRL at the Kick-Off Meeting of the PLEIADES Project
On January 13th and 14th, 2025, the kick-off meeting for the PLEIADES Project was successfully held in Brussels, hosted by the European Composites Industry Association (EUCIA). Representatives from all partner organizations, along with the Project Officer from the European Union, came together to discuss the project’s objectives, work packages, and planned activities.
About the PLEIADES Project
PLEIADES (Advancing aerospace composites through induction welding and new vitrimeric formulations enhanced by integrated photonic sensors, providing data to digital supply chain, SHM, maintenance) is an EU-funded initiative running from January 2025 to December 2027. Its primary goal is to develop innovative composite technologies for aviation, enabling lighter, more durable, and sustainable aircraft structures while advancing the digital transformation of the aerospace sector.
Key Objectives
The PLEIADES Project focuses on:
- Developing and characterizing advanced composite materials.
- Automating induction welding processes with integrated sensing capabilities.
- Enhancing the disassembly, healing, and maintenance of composite joints.
- Creating passive photonic integrated circuit (PIC) sensors and unified QA-SHM methodologies.
- Modeling induction welding processes, material properties, damage propagation, and de-icing.
- Aligning innovations with Clean Aviation partnership goals for sustainability and digital transformation.
Impact and Vision
The project’s technological advancements are expected to significantly contribute to sustainable, high-volume manufacturing, recycling, and circularity in aerospace. By leveraging cutting-edge methods, PLEIADES aims to achieve cost savings of 30%-40% while improving aircraft performance and promoting sustainability.
PCRL is proud to be part of this groundbreaking project alongside an exceptional consortium of partners:
- TWI LIMITED
- PCRL-ICCS – NTUA
- imec
- Talos Analytics
- Engineering Technology Solutions EE
- Politecnico di Torino
- Evektor Group
- Politecnico di Milano
- Collins Aerospace
- Cranfield University
- Brunel University of London
Stay tuned for updates on our contributions to the PLEIADES Project and its progress toward revolutionizing aviation technologies.
