An aerospace component partner who understands
Choosing the right manufacturer for aerospace components is crucial for successful product development and production – in every industry, but especially in aerospace.
A stable business relationship with your parts manufacturer can improve communication, shorten production times, reduce costs, and lead to higher-quality products. In an industry like aerospace, which is heavily regulated and involves significant bureaucratic requirements, good manufacturers can further enhance these benefits throughout the collaboration. However, to leverage these advantages, it is crucial to choose a manufacturing company with extensive experience in producing components for aerospace applications. While some companies possess state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, they lack sufficient aerospace experience to guide their customers safely through prototyping, testing, and series production.
Certified, specialized aerospace manufacturers are intimately familiar with regulatory challenges, longer lead times, and the specific testing requirements necessary to approve components for ASD (Aircraft, Space, and Defense) applications. These hurdles are typical of the aerospace industry, which is why it is extremely important to choose a component manufacturer that understands these challenges.
Regulatory Requirements
Although aerospace manufacturing is technically private sector, the process resembles working on government contracts due to extensive regulatory requirements. The scale of these regulations surprises many companies – even those already in commercial production that are now also manufacturing for aerospace. The multitude of additional requirements creates significant overhead in tracking and administration. An experienced aerospace manufacturer can support its customers in meeting these requirements by using proven processes to ensure nothing is overlooked and projects progress as efficiently as possible.
Project Lead Times
An inevitable consequence of extensive regulatory requirements is long project lead times. Even standard aerospace components have longer lead times than parts in other industries. Extensive testing is required, and numerous approvals must be obtained across various bureaucratic levels. These delays are compounded for complex or novel components. Working with the right manufacturer ensures that communication channels remain open and unnecessary duplication of work is avoided. A component manufacturer that understands aerospace requirements and works with a central point of contact contributes significantly to meeting project milestones. The result: products reach the market faster and with fewer complications.
Metrology and Testing Procedures
Aerospace components are not approved based on quality and precision alone. Manufacturers must conduct comprehensive tests and document the results in the prescribed formats so they can be approved by aerospace companies and airlines. This is not possible without the appropriate metrology. Manufacturers not specialized in aerospace often lack the necessary equipment and outsource these tests. In contrast, leading companies like Thin Metal Parts perform these tests in-house and can provide the required data faster and in the correct format, thereby accelerating approvals.
Partnership with Thin Metal Parts
Thin Metal Parts is an industry leader in a variety of metal processing techniques for the aerospace industry, including Mylar exposure, custom laser cutting, electroforming, and chemical etching. We stand for customized manufacturing and excellent customer service. Customers benefit from exceptional responsiveness, short lead times, cost-effective solutions, and highly flexible, customizable production – from prototypes and small batches to large-scale series production.
For more information about Thin Metal Parts or our work in aerospace, please contact us.
