ACITURRI AERONAUTICA SL

Their core work

Aciturri is a Spanish Tier-1 aerostructures manufacturer based in Miranda de Ebro that designs and builds major airframe components — wings, fuselage sections, empennages, and engine parts — for regional and commercial aircraft programs. Their H2020 work centers on advanced composite manufacturing: thermoplastic composites, automated tape laying, additive manufacturing, and integrating structural health monitoring into airframe parts. They bring industrial-scale production know-how and act as the real-world validator that takes robotic and digital manufacturing concepts from lab demonstrators to flight-ready components.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2016-2019 Aciturri's H2020 engagement was about bringing cognitive robotics and flexible automation onto the shop floor for mixed metal and composite parts (COROMA). From 2020 onward the focus shifted sharply toward thermoplastic composites, additive manufacturing of multifunctional filaments, and digital manufacturing pipelines that integrate structural health monitoring directly into airframes (DOMMINIO, GAM-2020-REG). The trajectory moves from automating existing processes to designing fundamentally new, sensor-embedded composite structures for next-generation regional aircraft.

They are moving toward digital, sensor-embedded thermoplastic airframe parts for regional aviation — a strong fit for partners working on sustainable aviation, smart structures, or Clean Aviation JU topics.

How they like to work

Aciturri participates as an industrial third party rather than coordinator, which is typical for aerostructures OEMs engaged through the Clean Sky / Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking. Across four projects they have worked with 66 distinct partners in 13 countries, indicating a broad and diverse network rather than a tight repeat-partner cluster. They join consortia to provide industrial validation and manufacturing pull-through rather than to lead research.

66 unique consortium partners across 13 countries, with an industrial aerospace footprint that reaches across Western Europe. Their participation in Clean Sky-linked programs puts them in regular contact with airframers, research centers, and tier suppliers.

What sets them apart

Aciturri is one of the few independent Spanish aerostructures manufacturers with the industrial capacity to actually build and fly the composite parts that research projects prototype. Partners get more than a letter-of-support industrial partner — they get a company that can take automated tape laying, additive manufacturing, and embedded sensing concepts onto real production lines for Airbus, Embraer and regional aircraft programs. That makes them unusually valuable for consortia that need credible industrial validation of TRL 6-8 manufacturing processes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DOMMINIO
  Ambitious combination of thermoplastic composites, additive manufacturing, embedded structural health monitoring and a full digital manufacturing pipeline for next-generation airframe parts.
• GAM-2020-REG
  Participation in the Clean Sky Regional Aircraft flagship program, targeting noise reduction, inflight comfort and environmental benefits for short and medium haul flights.
• COROMA
  Brought cognitive robotics into flexible manufacturing of both metal and composite aerospace parts — rare dual-material industrial validation.