Aerospace Assembly

Hydraulic Options for High-Force Pressing

When the pressing application requires a force of 10 tons or more, manufacturers can count on hydraulic, hydropneumatic and pneumohydraulic presses

Jim Camillo

May 6, 2019

No Comments

Some assembly technologies evolve too fast or too slow, while others change at a pace that's just right. Hydraulic presses belong in the latter category, according to some suppliers, and that's a good thing.

World's Longest Flexible Printed Circuit Enables Solar-Powered Drone Flight

April 23, 2019

No Comments

GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UK—Printed circuit supplier Trackwise has produced an 85-foot-long multilayer flexible circuit—said to be the world’s longest—for distributing power and control signals across the wings of a solar-powered drone.

Combat Rescue Helicopters Made Ready for Maiden Flights

April 23, 2019

No Comments

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Sikorsky Aircraft has announced that the maiden flights of two of its fully assembled HH-60W combat rescue helicopters are expected to happen before June at its development flight center here.

Airbus Opens H135 Final-Assembly Plant in China

April 23, 2019

No Comments

QINGDAO, China—Airbus Helicopters recently opened a final-assembly plant here for the H135 helicopter.

Boeing Reveals First Completed 777X-9 to Employees

April 23, 2019

No Comments

EVERETT, WA—Although Boeing has delayed the public reveal of its new 777X-9 airplane out of respect for the families of victims of two recent 737 MAX 8 crashes, last month the company invited staff to come in and view close-up Boeing's new flagship aircraft.

Case Studies in Wire Harness Assembly

These success stories highlight the need to use the latest wire processing technology on the shop floor

John Sprovieri

April 17, 2019

No Comments

Wire harness assembly doesn't get more complex or safety-critical than in the aerospace industry. A typical harness might contain thousands of wires and hundreds of connectors

Designing Aircraft Wire Harnesses 101

Engineers have many things to consider when designing wire harnesses for military aircraft.

John Ashour

April 17, 2019

No Comments

So, you're a new engineer freshly out of college. You've been hired at a large OEM to design wire harnesses and wired box assemblies. Not having the proper training in college, you ask yourself, "Where do I start?" The possibilities are limitless.

Airbus Sponsors Electric Air Racing Series

April 10, 2019

No Comments

TOULOUSE, France—Inspired by auto racing's popular Formula E series, Air Race E plans to hold its first series of competitions in 2020 in partnership with Airbus.

Defining Fastener Head Strength

Recent fastener failures during tensile testing have highlighted the need for a better understanding of the dynamics of the head-to-shank juncture

Michael Mowins

April 8, 2019

No Comments

High-strength threaded fasteners are critical components in the assembly of virtually every form of transportation and industrial machinery. Industry-accepted standards for the measurement and performance of these critical parts have existed for decades, but recent failures of threaded fasteners in service and qualification testing are bringing new focus to the critical area between the head and shank of the fastener.

Calculating ROI for Automated Welding Equipment

What’s obvious to manufacturing engineers may not be to the folks who sign the checks

Olli-Pekka Holamo

April 5, 2019

No Comments

Production engineers often get excited about new technologies and tend to think that the benefits of investing in them are obvious to everyone else in the company. However, enthusiastic engineers can get an unpleasant surprise if they are not prepared to argue their case properly.