As part of ongoing efforts to reduce the aviation industry’s environmental impact, the Green Advanced Panels (GAP) project will provide a clean alternative technology for the milling of aircraft fuselage panels as the result of a collaborative effort involving Airbus and machine tool designer and manufacturer, Dufieux Industrie.

Milling of aircraft panels has traditionally been completed using chemicals, which produce slurries and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that require treatment and disposal.

The patented Milling Mirror System – developed by Airbus and Dufieux Industrie in their collaborative GAP project – demonstrates the environmental, technical and economic advantages of mechanical milling while drastically reducing operating costs and production times. In addition, the only by-product of this eco-friendly system is aluminum shaving chips, which are 100 percent recyclable.