When some uncertainty in technical nomenclature threatened the prompt delivery of test rigs for an aerospace customer, Ideal Aerosmith developed a non-traditional, elegant solution to overcome the challenge.
How we solved it.
SOLVED IT
Non-linear Thinking To The Rescue
the challenge
One common challenge in the aerospace industry is that the design of the test solutions often happens at the same time as the design of the products and systems they are intended to assess. Inevitably, some information is missing or changes occur over the course of the project, presenting technical challenges as well as scheduling conflicts.
Case in point: a manufacturer in the aerospace industry asked Ideal Aerosmith to develop test rigs for their avionics systems, but the manufacturer and its own customer were struggling to agree on a naming structure for the wire signals used throughout the aircraft. These “signal names” needed to be etched onto the front plates of break-out panels before the break-out panels could be assembled and integrated into the test rig. The delays involving the wiring signal nomenclature stood to jeopardize the test rigs being delivered on time.
“The traditional sequence of events just wasn’t possible,” says Marius Gheorghe, engineering manager for test services at Ideal Aerosmith. “Fundamentally, we needed a non-linear solution that would continue to move this project forward.”
the solution
This project called for a non-traditional solution and some outside-the-box thinking. Ideal Aerosmith devised magnetic overlays that could be custom printed and attached to the front plates of the break-out panels after the panels had already been assembled and integrated into the test rigs. Additionally, Ideal Aerosmith secured the cooperation of a local vendor who could produce the printed magnetic overlays in a matter of a few days.
“This solution allowed us to complete the build and integration of the test rigs ahead of schedule,” says Gheorghe. “It shaved nearly a month from the timeline and the final product looked great. We were even able to make new magnetic overlays and ship them to our customer quickly when the names changed.”
the outcome
This elegantly straightforward solution allowed Ideal Aerosmith to meet the delivery schedule despite its customer needing to make decisions later than desired. The end result looked professional, and the customer was pleased with the outcome and the flexibility the solution afforded.