In aviation there is a high demand for specialised suppliers with flexible manufacturing capacities and qualified experience in machining technologies for innovative structural components in aluminium and titanium. toolcraft has established itself as a certified partner in this market, and supplies e.g. struts, connection and node elements for the fuselage of Airbus A350 and A400M.
Customer:
Premium AEROTEC GmbH
www.premium-aerotec.com
The Starting Point:
Higher Risk Management Demands
The order books of aircraft manufacturers are well filled. In many cases, correspondingly, the time to delivery is rather tight, which impacts the entire value chain. Programs such as Premium Aerotec's Speedline, for instance, will not tolerate any delays in delivery. Moreover, component suppliers increasingly are expected to show greater readiness for risk management. Next to a broad manufacturing expertise for comprehensive component packages, this also implies a larger vertical manufacturing depth for integral solutions.
the Challenge:
Extremely High Machining Rates
Typical lightweight components for aircraft structures often feature ultra-thin wall sections and must be manufactured at extreme machining rates of up to 90 percent with zero distortion. This requires not only proper scheduling for on-time delivery, but also highly qualified employees with extensive material and process expertise.
The Approach:
Integral Solutions
- Determining the most suitable manufacturing process and the required blanks (sizes) based on the customer's supplied data, drawings and three-dimensional models
- Programming of the machining steps
- Preparation of dummies and prototypes for sampling at the customer's
- Manufacturing within two weeks
- New since late 2013: Non-destructive surface testing for cracks by means of fluorescing penetrants (NADCAP) as integral part of our quality assurance
The Results:
Multiple Growth in Sales
The dedicated commitment demonstrated by toolcraft has strengthened our customer ties and resulted in above-average sales growth. In the long term, we are planning to extend our activities into the manufacture of series production parts beyond the Speedline program, including the procurement of materials currently still provided by the customer.
