Our Aircraft Engineering Capabilities
At Airframe Designs, we have established ourselves as leaders in innovative aircraft engineering and manufacturing. Our team of highly experienced engineers can deliver optimal solutions for mechanical structures in a digital environment.
Read on to discover more about our aircraft engineering capabilities, and how our services could benefit your aviation projects.
Understanding Aircraft Engineering
Aircraft engineering involves the application of technological and scientific principles to the research, development, and design of aircraft and their components.
Engineers work on various components of aerospace vehicles, such as aerodynamics, avionics, propulsion systems, materials, and structural design. The role comprises both theoretical and practical approaches to designing and building aircraft.
In the engineering process, research into design specifications for aircraft will be conducted. Engineers will assemble equipment, conduct testing and make necessary modifications to aircraft components.
Engineers aim to improve the safety of aircraft features, as well as shifting toward environmental sustainability. This can be achieved by minimising fuel consumption and pollution.
Aircraft maintenance also falls under engineering responsibilities. To ensure consistent high performance and structural integrity engineers make inspections and oversee maintenance and servicing of aircraft.
Our Capabilities
To date, we have applied our services to over 500 projects, working collaboratively with a diverse range of clients. Our primary operations centre around five competencies: design, analysis, certification, additive manufacturing and 3D scanning.
To best provide these services, we divide our organisation into three specialist teams: Structural Analysis, Design, and Additive Manufacturing.
Analysis
Structural analysis of aircraft can be complex, requiring input from varied experts in design, engineering, and manufacturing.
When evaluating an aircraft or components, the analysis we perform will depend on the project specifications and the relevant certification. A client’s needs could require initial sizing to support conceptual design phases, or final design calculations to support project certification submissions.
Our capabilities in analysis cover the assessment of vibration, bird strike, and aerodynamics, including computational fluid dynamics.
To conduct traditional static stress analysis, we use a combination of hand calculations, MATHCAD computation, Excel Spreadsheets, and PYTHON scripting to check the strength of metallic, non-metallic, and composite structures.
Design
Aircraft design covers the conceptualisation, development, evaluation, and refinement of aircraft systems and components.
At Airframe Designs, we exceed in delivering a range of design competencies. From mechanical structure, tooling and test rigs, to bringing extensive experience in CAD modelling from concept to first article inspection.
To aid the manufacture of mechanical products, our team deliver reliable 3D models and 2D datasets. This allows designers to evaluate design concepts, which allows them to choose the features which best achieve the aircraft requirements.
We are well accustomed to the gated design review process and design stages from concept through preliminary, critical, and final design review.
Our preferred modelling software includes CATIA. We are also well-versed in several other CAD systems including Siemens NX, Solidworks, Inventor, and CREO.
Our capabilities also support reverse engineering, designing for additive manufacture (DfAM), and legacy data digitisation, utilising VERISURF software for converting scanned data-point clouds into usable CAD models and surfaces.
Certification
Certification is required in aircraft engineering to establish the airworthiness of an initial design. An Individual Certificate of Airworthiness verifies an aircraft registration to a country.
At Airframe Designs, we work closely with UK-CAA and EASA design organisations. Our authority in the aviation field informs the certification of changes or repairs to aircraft and rotorcraft. We provide peer review services of elected certification basis, certification plans, and compliance demonstration evidence.
Our thorough knowledge of aircraft engineering is well respected amongst competent authorities. We have a team of Compliance Verification Engineers, who visit test facilities to witness and verify test activities that underpin certification.
Additive Manufacturing
In aircraft engineering, additive manufacturing is one of the fastest-growing industrial techniques. This technology harbours innovative, cost-effective and environmentally conscious solutions.
Our primary focus in additive layer manufacturing applies to polymer parts, prototypes, trial-fit mock-ups, and lightweight tooling.
We actively assert ourselves amongst industry specialists in advanced manufacturing, Universities, and Research Centres, to bring forth technological innovation. These partnerships have expanded our capabilities in providing technologies that benefit our customers.
3D Scanning
3D scanning offers precise measurements and quick results, allowing for a high standard of accuracy in the field of optical measurement.
In alignment with our core values– innovation to remain in front- we integrate cutting-edge 3D scanning technology into our suite of services. Our versatile 3D laser scanner provides precision and efficiency in digital modelling for aircraft engineering and mechanical structures.
Airframe Designs is recognised amongst established brands in the aerospace sector because we transcend current industry standards, with both advanced technology and expertise. Our sophisticated equipment allows us to tailor solutions for our customer’s distinct requirements.
Working With Airframe Designs
At Airframe Designs, we specialise in a wide range of disciplines in aircraft engineering. Beyond aerospace, we also operate in the nuclear, marine, medical, automotive and rail sectors.
If you would like to know more about how we have applied our capabilities, we post case studies of our projects to our website.
If you are interested in starting your project with us today, please contact us.