Industry Airbus and Altran win Crystal Cabin Award at the AIX 2018

Airbus and Altran have developed printed electrics, which is a digital technology that uses conductive inks, in order to print data routes and power transmissions to replace current harnesses. The technology reduces manufacturing costs and weight.

As a demonstrator, the joint Airbus and Altran team has developed a printed Info Panel on an A320. This panel could replace current electrical harness. According to the companies, this panel is the first step to a harness-free aircraft.

Geoff Pinner, Head of Cabin & Cargo Programme Airbus, commented: “Winning one of the aviation’s ‘Oscars’ together with Altran for printed electrics shows that we are continuously pushing the latest in innovative cabin design solutions and innovate for our customers and passengers worldwide. I congratulate the team on their fantastic job and on their well-deserved success.”

Sébastien Renouard, Group VP AeroSpace Defense & Railway Altran, added: "We are thrilled and delighted to have won the Crystal Cabin Award for the first time as it underlines our constant drive for innovation and cooperation spirit with our customers to develop the next generation technologies. Printed electrics is an outstanding example of applying disruptive technologies to revolutionise cabin design."

More than 90 concepts from 18 nations entered the Crystal Cabin Awards across eight categories. The competition is the leading international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation.

The innovative concept can be visited at Altran’s booth at the AIX 2018. Altran is located at the Hanse-Pavilion in hall 6.