Curtiss-Wright Actuation Division announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide Exlar® Electro-Mechanical Actuators to Federal Equipment Company in support of their weapons elevator systems for the Ford-class aircraft carrier program. Exlar actuators are used in several other mission critical areas on the Ford-class carriers, including the Jet Blast Defector, Integrated Catapult Control…
Single board computer and Avionics I/O boards for flight-certifiable applications
Abaco Systems, Inc. announced the release of two boards, the SBC314C single-board computer and RAR15XC avionics data bus communications XMC mezzanine board, for embedded flight-certifiable applications. Previously only available as part of the FORCE2C rugged line replaceable unit (LRU), the two are now each available as separate boards. The SBC314C 3U VPX single board computer,…
Swiss precision motors handle the valuable Mars soil samples
NASA’s Perseverance rover will be landing on Mars on February 18th. Was there once life on Mars? This is the question that one of the most complex robotic systems ever built by humankind has set out to answer. Several of maxon’s electric drives are used for handling the soil samples — and to control the…
SAKOR Technologies provides new dynamometer system for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
SAKOR Technologies Inc. has announced that it recently provided a dynamometer test system to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. for use in testing starters/alternators for military remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) of the Predator class and larger. The system has a 58 horsepower (Hp) AccuDyne AC 4 quadrant motoring dynamometer and other subsystems configured for starter/generator…
Abaco wins major order to support Space Force Protected Tactical Satellite Communication Program
Abaco Systems, Inc. announces an initial award of a $900k design win, with a lifetime potential win of several million, for ground control interface supporting Space Force’s Protected Tactical Satellite (PTS) Communication Program (SATCOM). PTS serves as a next-generation anti-jamming satellite communication system to support warfighters globally. Abaco is proud to continue our strong tradition…
Sakor provides dynamometer system to General Atomics Aeronautical
Sakor Technologies Inc. announced that it recently provided a dynamometer test system to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. for use in testing starters/alternators for military remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) of the Predator class and larger. The system features a 58-hp AccuDyne AC 4 quadrant motoring dynamometer and other subsystems configured for starter/generator testing and is…
How to scan medium-to-large aerospace castings
Exact Metrology, a comprehensive 3D metrology service provider and hardware sales company, proudly represents PolyScan XL. Part of the Polyrix PolyScan Surround 3D Scanner family, these scanners are motionless by design during the inspection. Their unique calibration avoids the need for data alignment or sticker targets, and multiple baselines increase accuracy when measuring points. The…
Superior Tube enjoys Nadcap reaccreditation triple success
Superior Tube, the specialist manufacturer of high quality, small diameter metal tube products for the defense and aerospace sectors, amongst others, has been awarded three prestigious Nadcap reaccreditations for its heat treating, welding, and non-destructive testing programs. Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors’ Accreditation Program) assesses and supplies independent accreditation of specialist manufacturing processes and…
Optimized 5-axis post processor for FANUC CNCs
FANUC America, a factory automation solutions provider, and CNC Software, global CAM systems provider of Mastercam, has introduced a new post processor designed to optimize 5-axis capabilities in FANUC CNCs. The new post processor allows advanced machine tool operators to reduce their cycle times while boosting part accuracy, particularly for CAD/CAM generated 5-axis simultaneous contouring…
Abaco wins major order to equip next generation SOSA aligned multifunction processor for military aircraft
Abaco Systems announced that it has secured orders from a major US prime contractor that will see Abaco’s innovative single board computer and avionics solutions deployed as part of a next generation SOSA aligned 3U VPX embedded computer system for advanced electronic warfare (EW), SIGINT and ISR applications destined for the military aircraft of the…
HX5 adds electromagnetic shielding to growing list of material advantages
Alpine Advanced Materials has completed Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing on HX5 and found the lightweight aviation grade thermoplastic nanocomposite to have exceptional attenuation when bare or plated with various thicknesses of nickel and copper. The highly engineered HX5 has already demonstrated its strength and performance for use in complex components, but the results of the…
maxon develops ultra-efficient UAV drive with startup Flybotix
maxon has collaborated with drone startup Flybotix to develop performance-optimized brushless dc motors for a new kind of inspection drone. With the know-how gained from this and other projects, maxon is making inroads into the new UAV market, where the reliability and quality of components are becoming more important. Two rotors instead of four was…
Abaco Systems wins order to support upgrade of fleet of fighter aircraft
Abaco announced that it had received orders from a major prime contractor to support the upgrade of the computing capability of a European nation’s fleet of 70 fighter aircraft. Two of Abaco’s rugged 6U VME Power Architecture single board computers (SBCs) will be at the heart of each multiprocessor onboard mission computer. Insertion of the…
Rugged timing components needed to build robust aerospace and defense products
By Jim Holbrook, Director of Customer Engineering, SiTime Aerospace and defense systems can be exposed to extreme temperatures or large magnitude shock and vibration events. Reliable operation under such harsh conditions couldn’t be more important, and in some circumstances could make the difference between mission success or mission failure. State-of-the-art MEMS timing technology has come…
OpenVPX provides permanent communications from the ISS to Earth
The International Space Station (ISS), launched in 1998 as a joint effort among several countries committed to space exploration, is comprised of individual modules that were first put together in space. The modules were never integrated with each other on earth. This situation is the same with new systems and platforms sent to the ISS…
PTC’s Windchill SaaS chosen to serve as backbone for U.S. Navy Digital Transformation
PTC announced that the U.S. Navy has selected PTC’s Windchill product lifecycle management (PLM) Software as a Service (SaaS) offering to support its Model Based Product Support (MBPS) digital transformation initiatives, which is aimed at improving the Navy’s operational readiness. The project, launching in PTC’s fourth fiscal quarter, will enable the U.S. Navy to unify…
Shielding the Solar Orbiter against extreme heat
Last February, the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter started a two-year journey to provide the first detailed pictures of the sun’s poles and insights about the never-before-observed magnetic environment that regulates the sun’s 11-year solar cycle. But how can a satellite move around the sun without burning? Here Samir Jaber, content writer at materials search…
Canvas X3 3D technical illustration solution chosen to drive workflow efficiencies
Canvas GFX Inc. has announced that specialist aerospace and defense manufacturer GlenDee/MGI has selected Canvas X3 technical illustration solution to drive measurable improvements in its manufacturing workflows. Canvas X3 allows users to import, manipulate, illustrate and annotate 3D models created in all leading CAD packages to create images for use in technical product documentation assets including…
Webinar: Aerospace ground bond testing – April 2
Thursday April 2, 2020 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT Creating and maintaining effective ground references in airframes are critical to safety and performance. Fixed and rotary-wing aircrafts are complex assemblies consisting of various electrical and mechanical components, which are all connected to form a sound mechanical structure. While mechanical integrity is…
A 3D printed “mothership” used to launch multiple PocketQube satellites into space
As tiny and reliable emerging satellites, PocketQubes are “an exemplar of New Space research and innovation.” The original idea came from Professor Robert J. Twiggs from Morehead State University (MSU), who proposed the standard of “a satellite that fits in your pocket”. A PocketQube is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually […]
Developments in metal additive manufacturing
In today’s episode of Technology Forward, we explore trends in additive manufacturing. I’m speaking with Arjun Aggarwal, VP of business development at Desktop Metal. Desktop Metal uses carbon fiber to make metal 3D printing with a desktop system accessible to all engineers, designers, and manufacturers. Design World · Trends in metal additive manufacturing Here are […]
How does additive manufacturing benefit Aerospace design
One of the key strengths of additive manufacturing (AM) is that it is well suited to applications that need low volumes of high-quality parts, such as the aerospace industry. Another strength is that AM can deliver parts as needed, in less time than other manufacturing methods. And a third strength is AM’s ability to produce […]
US Air Force and GE reach first metal additive technology milestone with sump cover for F110 engine
In mid-2019, GE Additive and GE Aviation approached the US Air Force to propose a metal additive collaboration program to address its specific sustainment, readiness and affordability needs. The US Air Force’s Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) is charged with increasing mission readiness by rapidly identifying, applying and scaling technology essential to the operation and sustainment […]
Aircraft-grade alloy suits thin-walled 3D printable heat transfer applications
Digital manufacturing innovator VELO3D announced the commercial release of a manufacturing process for additively manufactured parts in Aluminum F357 on the company’s Sapphire metal 3D printing system. The foundry-grade aluminum alloy, suitable for the laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) process, enables 3D printing of parts that have traditionally been manufactured using casting practices. There are other […]
Webinar: Aerospace ground bond testing – April 2
Thursday April 2, 2020 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT Creating and maintaining effective ground references in airframes are critical to safety and performance. Fixed and rotary-wing aircrafts are complex assemblies consisting of various electrical and mechanical components, which are all connected to form a sound mechanical structure. While mechanical integrity is…