Case study: Fiber optics sensing breakthrough transforms aerospace weld validation
Learn how Zeus and McNAIR Aerospace Center partnered to develop a polymer solution which enabled a new optical fiber sensing application with transformative results for the aerospace industry.
Composite weld validation has long proven a costly and time-consuming process for aerospace manufacturers. McNAIR Aerospace Center, supported by GKN Aerospace, partnered with Zeus, to replace the industry validation methods with a fiber optic sensor.
Up to this point, embedding a fiber optic sensor within an aircraft part, without compromising the optical fibers or the part’s structural integrity, had been considered unachievable in the aerospace industry.
However, through applying proprietary extrusion methods, Zeus were able to engineer a custom polymer coating which enabled McNAIR and their customer GKN Aerospace to accomplish this incredible breakthrough.
Together, Zeus and McNAIR reinvented the standard approach to composite weld validation in aerospace manufacturing. This optical fiber sensing application delivers significant benefits for the global aerospace industry:
- Generates savings of up to $500,000 on aircraft part validation runs
- Replaces existing time-consuming thermocouple weld validation
- Increases overall QA accuracy of part analysis
- Enables potential innovations in “smart structure” monitoring
Download the full customer story to learn how Zeus and McNAIR achieved this incredible fiber optic breakthrough and its impact for the aerospace industry.
