Capitalizing on new trends in aerospace

When I first got my job with East Bay Manufacturers, I had many questions from friends and family about what it is that my company makes. Even now, when I meet new people, it is inevitable that they will ask what products we manufacture. I love this question, but I also dread it. I love it because I love talking about what we do here. I find it fascinating that we can take a piece of raw material and turn it into something useful for society.

Our employees are great at their jobs; and I love to show off what they do. But I dread the question because the answer can get complicated. We create products to our customers’ specifications, which means that we provide a service and a product. Since we do not always know exactly what our customers do with the products, my answer to the question; “what do you guys make?” is fairly vague. Usually I say something along the lines of, “we make custom parts that are used in industries such as aerospace, defense, and technology.” I always feel dissatisfied with this answer because it only gives an idea of what we do. It doesn’t properly display the versatility of our capabilities, and the importance of what we make.

We are not just an old school machine shop. We are a manufacturer that has to keep up with technologies in all of the industries that our customers are in. It is vital that we are up-to-date because we need to continue providing them with the best and most relevant service to meet their evolving needs. Many of our customers are in aerospace; an industry that is known for being at the heart of innovation. According to ABW Technologies, Inc. and eInfochips, here are some of the trends in the aerospace industry that we need to look out for:

3-D Printing

3-D printing is nothing new, and with the advancing capabilities of this technology, it only makes sense that it will be playing a larger role in manufacturing for the aerospace industry. However, 3-D printing will not only be used to make parts for aircrafts, it will also be used to make testing models. Therefore, it will be playing a part in all aspects of design and development.

Composites

Composites are two or more materials with different properties that are combined to work together while remaining separate to a certain degree. This makes them stronger and more versatile. Because of this, composites are starting to be used over traditional aluminum alloys for major structural elements in aircrafts. Manufacturers can use them to develop a single structure which would typically be many parts, and this reduces build and maintenance costs.

Internet of Things

The Internet of things is a development of the internet where everyday objects have network connectivity in order to send and receive data. In aviation, embedded sensors in engines and monitors can help handle complex situations and potential issues. Aviation companies will be able to manage the connected devices and easily access data.