MTorres, Airbus Enable Next-Gen Composites via Thin-Ply AFP
•February 19, 2026
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Companies Mentioned
Airbus
Why It Matters
The breakthrough enables lighter, tougher aerospace components and accelerates adoption of thin‑ply composites in high‑value markets such as hydrogen storage, improving performance and sustainability.
Key Takeaways
- •Thin‑ply tapes reduce weight and increase toughness.
- •Redesigned AFP heads prevent twisting and wrinkling.
- •TorFiber CAM now handles closed, self‑intersecting paths.
- •AFP offers fiber orientation flexibility beyond filament winding.
- •Airbus validation shows feasibility for hydrogen tanks.
Pulse Analysis
Thin‑ply or spread‑tow tapes have emerged as a game‑changer for aerospace composites, offering up to 30% weight savings while boosting impact resistance. Their extreme thinness—often under 0.02 mm—creates handling challenges that traditional AFP equipment cannot overcome, leading to defects that compromise structural integrity. MTorres tackled these issues by re‑engineering the entire material feed line, from spool tension to compaction rollers, and by tightening temperature control to stabilize the delicate fibers. This hardware overhaul eliminates the common problems of twist and wrinkle, making high‑speed layup of ultra‑light tapes practical for production environments.
Equally critical is the software side. MTorres’ TorFiber CAM, now fully integrated with Dassault Systemes’ CATIA, can automatically generate closed‑loop and self‑intersecting tow trajectories—essential for pressure vessels and other complex geometries where fibers must loop or cross. The automation reduces programming time dramatically and improves material utilization by allowing precise tow‑by‑tow control. Engineers can now tailor fiber orientation, layer thickness, and reinforcement zones with unprecedented granularity, unlocking design freedom that surpasses conventional filament winding, which is limited to rotationally symmetric parts.
The partnership with Airbus validates the commercial viability of this technology, with two tank halves successfully laminated for hydrogen storage—a sector poised for rapid growth as the aviation industry decarbonizes. By delivering a scalable AFP solution for thin‑ply composites, MTorres positions itself at the forefront of next‑generation aerospace manufacturing, offering manufacturers a path to lighter, more efficient airframes and energy‑storage systems. As airlines and OEMs pursue stricter fuel‑burn targets, the ability to integrate such high‑performance composites will become a decisive competitive advantage.
MTorres, Airbus enable next-gen composites via thin-ply AFP
Source (All Images) | MTorres
Thin-ply or spread tow tapes are very low-weight, low-thickness composite prepregs that are gaining traction in aerospace for their potential to cut weight and increase toughness, crack resistance and impact resistance in high-performance structures. However, weighing as little as 15 grams/square meter with a thickness of only 0.02 millimeter, these materials present serious technical challenges when used in automated fiber placement (AFP) processes. For example, their low stiffness makes them prone to twisting, wrinkling and misalignment during layup, especially when processed at high speeds or over curved surfaces.
MTorres (Torres de Elorz, Navarra, Spain) has addressed these issues by redesigning its AFP heads to ensure stable and precise handling of thin plies. From the spool to the compaction roller, every stage of the material path is now optimized to maintain tow integrity and placement accuracy. Process temperature control is also a critical factor and helps stabilize the material behavior. These adaptations are essential to achieve defect-free lamination with materials that are highly sensitive to tension variations, trajectory curvature and thermal fluctuations.
CAM software for complex geometries
In parallel, MTorres has enhanced its proprietary TorFiber CAM software (supported and integrated in Dassault Systemes’ CATIA) to support closed geometries and self-intersecting paths. These capabilities are critical for components like pressure vessels, where fiber trajectories often loop and cross over themselves. The software now allows engineers to generate complex layup strategies with precise control over tow paths, enabling better material use and structural optimization.
Another key advancement is the ability to generate these trajectories directly, automatically and also with greater agility. This streamlines the programming process and reduces the time required to prepare layups for complex parts, making AFP more scalable for industrial applications.
New level of flexibility versus winding
While traditional methods like filament winding have proven effective for rotationally symmetric parts, AFP introduces a new level of flexibility and control that expands the design and performance possibilities. Its capabilities are well suited for manufacturing components with closed or complex geometries, such as pressure vessels and hydrogen storage tanks:
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Freedom in fiber orientation, including 0º and 90º angles, which are difficult to achieve with winding techniques.
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Tow-by-tow control, enabling selective addition or cutting of individual tows to create localized reinforcements or structural patches.
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Multi-tow capability with independent management, enabling precise control over each tow’s feed and cut, optimizing both productivity and material use.
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Layer-by-layer customization, supporting variable thickness and tailored mechanical properties across the part.
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Steering without slippage, ensuring accurate fiber alignment even on curved or non-developable surfaces, which helps maintain structural integrity and surface quality.
These features make AFP a powerful tool for applications that demand high precision, structural efficiency and adaptability in design — especially as the industry moves toward more advanced composite solutions.
Platform for future innovation
MTorres worked with Airbus (Toulouse, France) to validate these developments in a real-world setting, successfully laminating two tank halves using thin-ply tapes and advanced AFP strategies. Demonstrating its ability to adapt technology to emerging industry needs, MTorres’ developments are paving the way for broader adoption of AFP in hydrogen storage and other high-performance composite applications.
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