ASAP Sourcing Solutions Blog

From commercial airliners to performance military jets, a majority of aircraft are manufactured from aluminum. This is due to the high strength-to-weight ratio that aluminum provides, allowing reliable assemblies that excel in heavier-than-air flight. While aluminum is highly beneficial for the construction of aircraft, such materials limit the fastener types that may be used to secure parts together based on their material.

When two or more dissimilar metals are pressed together with pressure, corrosion may occur and result in irreparable damages. Despite such issues, avoiding fastener and surface corrosion simply requires choosing fastener materials that can accommodate aluminum structures.

During the summer months when many travel areas hit their peak temperatures, aircraft will utilize their air conditioning systems in order to provide optimal comfort for their passengers. While air conditioning can maintain cool temperatures for the benefit of passengers, such systems are often only functional while the engine is on.

From lifting to tensioning, eye bolts serve as one of the most commonly used hardware pieces for material handling applications. As a simplistic seeming component with a threaded shank and an eye at one end, eye bolts can create a more efficient workplace through their robust capabilities.

As eye bolts can prevent an unsafe work environment for the benefit of individuals and the workplace, understanding how eye bolts function, their various types, and what materials are often used is crucial for making a knowledgeable decision on a best fit.

Welding is a form of fabrication that involves conjoining metals and thermoplastics through the application of high heat. With the melting of materials, separate components can fuse together with robust properties, allowing them to serve various applications such as vehicles, infrastructure, weapons, and much more.

As we have continuously advanced techniques of welding over time, new technology and machinery has come about to make the process more simple and efficient. One of these devices is the welding positioner, which has greatly streamlined the welding process for workers. With a welding positioner, a welder can stand in one single spot, all while operating on a component that can be spun around 360 degrees.

With over ten million scheduled passenger flights a year and thousands of aircraft constantly in the sky, aircraft are subjected to heavy wear and tear that must be addressed regularly. If left unchecked, regular damage to systems and components from weathering and stressors could lead to failure, causing a high risk of flight for passengers and pilots alike.

To ensure that aircraft are always operating smoothly, safely, and efficiently, maintenance is regularly conducted by many owners and facilities. In this blog, we will discuss the various types of bearing inspection that aircraft regularly go through as well as provide an overview of basic maintenance procedures that are conducted by the industry.

An easy way to describe what a turnlock does is to say that it is simply a fastener that serves for many as an easy method for closing and opening panels. Convenient as they are, they are hardly fragile or sensitive. On the contrary, turnlocks are extremely resistant and designed to be durable against pressure and outer vibrations from their environment.

Because of this resistance, the turnlock fasteners will not easily release with any manhandling. This secrueness that is provided by the turnlock fastener is one of the many reasons why so many people in the maintenance and hardware industry prefer to use this tool. For more information on this, read more in the article below.

When you’re in flight, the only thing separating you from the thin air outside is an airplane window. On one side, there’s a warm, pressurized cabin where you can work, watch movies, sleep — and on the other, air that is not suitable to breathe. Between the two, incredibly sturdy windows. Aircraft cabin windows and windshields are designed to withstand high pressure environments that normal windows couldn’t function in. 

With the debut of the automatic transmission system, vehicles were changed forever. With new components, shifting gears and general operation became much more simple as many functions began to be automatically controlled by the transmission system. One of the new additions to the automatic transmission, the torque converter, is a very important system component that replaced the clutch.

Torque converters are a type of fluid coupling, and they are what allows for an automobile engine to continue running while the wheels are stationary, among other important functions. In this blog, we will discuss what the torque converter is, as well as how they function.

A bearing insulator is an insulator type part manufactured with the outer diameter insulated or the inner diameter insulated and is designed to mitigate the circulating rotor currents that can harm or cause damage to any bearings surrounding the device.

A good practice to prevent current damage so as to not overburden the bearing insulator is either to use hybrid ceramic bearings or to insulate the non-drive end shaft bearing journal with a ceramic (aluminum oxide AL2O3).

When designing and maintaining an aircraft, there may be upwards of millions of small and large parts that come together to provide for every function of the aircraft from safety to entertainment. Aerospace bearing parts are very beneficial for the various operations of aircraft as bearings are designed to reduce friction between components and materials through the use of rotating and sliding.

With the various bearing components that can be found within an aircraft, it is important to be aware of what systems they may be located in, as well as guidelines to properly install and maintain them as needed. In this blog, we will provide an overview of common bearings and procedures used to install and maintain them.