Wire Products Redesigns Aerospace Part for Enhanced Efficiency and Repeatability
Summary: Wire Products, an AS9100D / ISO9001:2015 certified manufacturer, partnered with a major Aerospace customer to enhance a complex part intended for the B-1 Bomber. Initially deemed beyond their manufacturing capabilities, Wire Products worked collaboratively with the customer to redesign the part. The result was a more efficient production process, with enhanced repeatability, while maintaining the part’s functional integrity.
Industry: Aerospace, Defense
Category: Product Redesign, Efficiency Enhancement
Processes: Prototype Creation, Collaborative Engineering, Redesign for Manufacturability
A major Aerospace customer won a contract with the US Department of Defense to develop a specialized part for the B-1 Bomber. The part’s initial drawings posed a challenge—they were beyond the capability of Wire Products Company’s existing machinery and would require manual secondary operations. Given the part’s highly technical nature and tight tolerances, a collaborative understanding of its design and function was essential.
A meeting was held with both companies to understand the engineering logic behind the part, its assembly point, and intended function. A handmade prototype was initially produced, which Wire Products suspected was over-engineered. Though not responsible for design, Wire Products proposed possible design modifications that would simplify production while maintaining the part’s form, fit, and function.
The part initially had multiple bends intended for weld points as part of a locking mechanism. These bends would introduce inconsistencies in a secondary formation operation. Collaboratively, Wire Products and the customer developed an alternative design that eliminated several bends but retained the part’s welding integrity. The new design not only cut costs but also enhanced production repeatability.
The collaborative redesign led to a finalized blueprint with the recommended revisions. While specific cost savings weren’t detailed, the redesign undeniably facilitated a more efficient and repeatable production process, leading to potential long-term cost savings and quality improvements for the Aerospace customer.
Through a collaborative engineering effort that focused on understanding the technical and functional requirements of the part, Wire Products Company was able to redesign a complex aerospace component, making it more manufacturable and functionally effective.
