Case Study: MABOND – Advancing Structural Bonding for Next-Generation Airframes

This work is supported by the ATI Programme: a partnership of the Aerospace Technology Institute, the Department for Business & Trade and Innovate UK

Project: MABOND (Multi-Application Bonding)

Duration: August 2024 – July 2027 (3 years)

Awarded by: ATI (part of Innovate UK)

Lead Partner: GKN Aerospace

Partners: University of Bath, University of Surrey, Expert Tooling & Automation, and Authentise

Challenge

Aerospace structures have long relied on rivets, bolts, and screws to secure joints - reliable but heavy and restrictive to design.

As the industry pursues greater efficiency and sustainability, MABOND aims to replace these fasteners with structural bonding strong enough for highly loaded, safety-critical joints - a first for airframe certification.

Solution

The MABOND programme is developing advanced adhesive bonding to safely replace mechanical fasteners in future airframes.

These new technologies will enable bonded joints across thermoset-to-thermoset and aluminium-to-thermoset materials, reducing weight, cutting costs, and improving aerodynamics through smoother, more efficient surfaces.

Results

The innovations emerging from MABOND will reduce dependence on traditional fasteners, supporting the UK’s vision for cleaner, more efficient aerospace manufacturing and next-generation flight.

Developing Next-Generation Bonding to Replace Traditional Fasteners

CHALLENGES

Replacing decades of reliable fasteners with lighter, certifiable bonding methods.

For decades, aerospace manufacturers have relied on traditional fasteners - rivets, bolts, and screws - to secure critical joints in aircraft structures. While reliable, these legacy methods add weight, require complex machining, and limit design freedom. As the aerospace sector works to improve fuel efficiency and sustainability, new joining technologies are essential.

The challenge for the MABOND programme is to develop structural bonding technologies capable of replacing fasteners in highly loaded and safety-critical joints - something that has not previously been possible for airframe certification.

THE SOLUTION?

Pioneering adhesive technologies that enable strong, efficient, and aerodynamic structures.

The Multi-Application Bonding (MABond) programme focuses on developing and demonstrating advanced adhesive bonding technologies that can safely and reliably replace mechanical fasteners in future airframe designs.

Unlike existing aerospace adhesives, these new solutions will be capable of supporting critical structural joints, paving the way for bonded assemblies in both thermoset-to-thermoset and aluminium-to-thermoset applications.

The approach promises significant weight and cost advantages, while simplifying production processes and enabling cleaner, more aerodynamic surfaces.

What's Next...

HOW IT WORKS

Building a Scalable Bonding Process for the Next Generation of Aircraft

The project brings together leading UK expertise in materials science, testing, tooling, and digital manufacturing systems to create a scalable bonding process suitable for next-generation aircraft.

The new bonding technologies are designed to:

• Improve load transfer between joined components.

• Eliminate the need for fastener tails, allowing for lower aspect-ratio wings.

• Enable laminar-flow-ready surfaces without additional filling or fairing.

• Support elastic-tailored wing structures for improved aerodynamic efficiency.

A scalable manufacturing system will be developed, deployed, and demonstrated - ensuring the process can be adapted for a wide range of production rates and aircraft types, from Advanced Air Mobility vehicles to future large airframes such as the Next Single Aisle (NSA).

IMPACT

Delivering Lighter, More Efficient, and Sustainable Aircraft Structures

By reducing the number of fasteners and enabling fully bonded structures, the MABOND programme is expected to deliver:

• Lighter and more efficient aircraft, reducing fuel burn and emissions.

• Lower manufacturing and maintenance costs through simpler assembly and improved surface finish.

• Greater design flexibility for future aircraft architectures and sustainable aviation concepts.

These outcomes directly align with the aerospace industry’s push toward environmental efficiency and sustainable manufacturing.

WHY IT MATTERS

Paving the Way for a New Era of Sustainable Aerospace Manufacturing

The MABOND programme represents a major step forward in the way aircraft structures are designed and built.By combining advanced bonding science with scalable, digitally enabled manufacturing processes, the project paves the way for a new era of lightweight, high-performance, and sustainable airframes.

The innovations emerging from MABOND will reduce dependence on traditional fasteners, supporting the UK’s vision for cleaner, more efficient aerospace manufacturing and next-generation flight.