𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬’ 𝐋𝐂𝐀𝟔𝟎𝐓

Finnish composites manufacturer Exel Composites, which specialises in pultrusion and pull-winding technologies, officially inaugurated its new aerospace production area at its Joensuu plant on 30 September 2026.

Developed for the LCA60T programme of French-Canadian aeronautical company Flying Whales, the facility will support process validation and subsequently the production of the pull-wound carbon fibre tubes forming the structural frame of the airship.

The LCA60T is a 200-metre-long vertical take-off and landing airship designed to carry payloads of up to 60 tonnes, particularly to and from areas with limited transport infrastructure.

“There are approximately 80 kilometres of carbon fibre tubes inside one airship,” explains Paul Sohlberg, CEO and President of Exel Composites. “They form a beam structure inside the envelope that gives the airship its shape and provides the rigidity and structural performance it requires.

The carbon fibre tubes therefore form part of the aircraft’s primary internal framework, combining the low mass required for an airship with the mechanical performance needed for a structure of this scale.

From material trials to process validation

Exel and Flying Whales strengthened their cooperation through an agreement signed in 2024. Initial development work has since covered fibres, resins, lay-ups and sample components.

“We have already produced samples to support the initial technology choices and calculations for the airship,” says Sohlberg. “With the dedicated manufacturing area now in place, we can move into validating the final tube properties, process parameters and testing philosophy.”

The opening of the new production area therefore takes the tubes design workbeyond preliminary material and process development and into the stage where the manufacturing configuration of the tubes intended for the first LCA60T can be formally assessed.

For an aeronautical structural application, this means demonstrating not only the performance of individual components but also the ability of the manufacturing process to deliver them consistently.

“You cannot have variations in quality in an aircraft structure of this type. The quality has to remain uniform throughout production,” Sohlberg says. “That is one of the strengths of pultrusion: it is a mechanised, highly repeatable process in which the parameters can be closely controlled.

Repeatability is consequently a central issue in the validation phase, alongside the final mechanical properties of the tubes and the definition of the testing procedures.

Bringing continuous manufacturing to aerospace requirements

The new area at Joensuu provides additional manufacturing space and tighter control over temperature, humidity and air cleanliness.

The facility has therefore been configured around two constraints specific to the programme: maintaining controlled production conditions and accommodating the continuous manufacture of long structural tubes.

For Exel, the LCA60T programme builds on this established expertise while applying it within the quality and traceability framework required for an aeronautical structure.

Joensuu is indeed Exel’s centre of expertise for advanced composite tubes and pull-winding, bringing together development, production, quality, application engineering and operations.“Long, demanding, high-quality carbon fibre tubes have historically been one of Exel’s core competencies,” says Sohlberg. “This is not our first application in this field.”

Pull-winding for the LCA60T structure

The tubes are manufactured using pull-winding, a continuous process combining pultrusion with controlled fibre winding. It enables fibre orientation to be adapted to the mechanical requirements of tubular structures while retaining the repeatability and production efficiency associated with continuous manufacturing.

The new area includes several pull-winding lines and provides the space required for the long components used in the LCA60T frame.

“This milestone is an important step in preparing the LCA60T programme for industrial readiness,” says Vincent Guibout, CEO of Flying Whales. “Exel’s advanced composite expertise, process discipline and production capability are essential as we move towards the next phases of the programme.”

Flying Whales is developing the LCA60T to transport heavy or oversized loads, including in regions where conventional transport infrastructure is limited. The longer-term ambition extends beyond the production of individual aircraft.

source : Exel Composites