Aerospace coatings and paints have to withstand some of the greatest strains in the industry: broad temperature fluctuations, UV exposure, and rapid changes in air pressure. On top of the physical challenges are the economical ones — the recent surge in crude oil prices has made the skies anything but friendly for the airlines. Coatings companies are taking this opportunity to provide solutions to aerospace manufacturers with paint and adhesive products that improve fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Are your products flying high?

We have decades of successful experience with commerical and military aviation programs in many demanding flight applications. Our qualifications, experience, and core sensor technology help us quickly develop a custom sensor that meets your specific requirements. Harsh environment sensor application notes are availble on our Web site.

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Manufacturing engineers sometimes get so accustomed to one drill system that they don't take advantage of advances driven by aircraft, medical, and petroleum industries that can speed hole-making tasks and lower costs. This article provides many tips on new alloys, inserts, and drill systems for better hole making.

For inspection applications in very tight, confined spaces, OC Robotics of Filton, England has designed a snake-arm robot with just a 1/2 in. diameter, notes Military & Aerospace Electronics. Developed for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the robot features an endoscope-like camera at its tip and uncoils from a briefcase-sized control unit. OC Robotics previously designed a similar robot that Airbus uses in Toulouse, France for assembly and inspection tasks within aircraft wings.

...as in "less is more." In an effort to unclutter today's commercial aircraft cockpits, Airbus experts have been exercising a new simulation tool dubbed "iDeck," contributing their suggestions for future cockpit configuration improvements. The idea: prevent pilots from being "overwhelmed with information which is not necessary to fly the aircraft at every moment." The system was introduced at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

Get ready to add another layer of complexity to your test strategies: sustainability. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Delphi, and Samsung require their electronic test systems to deliver higher-speed, lower costs, and contribute to corporate sustainability programs. Here's the good news: A NASA Tech Briefs article says it takes only three steps to achieve the desired results. Increasing throughput, maximizing reuse, and minimizing test system energy consumption promotes sustainability.

The TwoView™ and TwoView Micro™ provide two flip-up/flip-down displays in rugged 2U enclosures that meet MIL-STD-901D, -810F, -461E, and more. They support NTSC, PAL, RS-170, SoG, STANAG 3350, DVI, and many more inputs. The TwoView™ features an integral keyboard/trackball. The TwoView Micro™ is ceiling, wall, or rack mountable.

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High fuel prices are proving a boon for high-performance alloys used in aircraft. Airlines worldwide are replacing their older, less fuel efficient airplanes with newer fuel miserly ones. Consequently, the order books at both Boeing and Airbus are sold out for the next three years with production of planes — so much so that Purchasing magazine is reporting record levels of super alloy consumption. This trend could continue well into the next decade as international carriers expand to meet travel demand, and newer alloys are created for even more efficient aircraft and engines.

The next generation of aircraft bodies and engines could be flying high with the help of 3D woven textiles. Engineers at the University of Ulster, UK, are working on a project that involves weaving carbon fibers to specified thickness and shape, then injecting the material with resin to produce the composite part. The researchers will also devise a computer system to create and test the woven materials in a virtual environment.

Using wireless to transmit prognostics and diagnostics for aircraft is the goal of a UK government wireless initiative. Board members believe wireless facilitates better data communication. They also believe fewer cables will improve airplane weight and simplify assembly. Initial applications will not include flight-critical data.

It will have the wingspan of a commercial airliner, a myriad of solar cells, the weight of a midsize auto, and very few creature comforts. Bertrand Piccard's circumnavigation is a few years away, but solar-powered flight has soared since 1981, when the sun pushed an aircraft across the English Channel. Last month, a solar plane logged the longest ever unmanned flight. Piccard's manned plane, featuring 200 m2 of wing photovoltaics, must store daylight energy and use it for flying at night.

High-performance one- to three-axis positioning and rate tables for testing and calibrating guidance and navigation systems, including MEMS sensors. Multi-axis pedestals and platforms provide precision pointing or stabilization for aeronautic, marine, and land applications. Includes ProAxe controller and software with proprietary auto-tuning, increased bandwidth, and fault detection.

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