Design expertise on show

Citation

(2006), "Design expertise on show", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 78 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2006.12778aad.009

Design expertise on show

Design expertise on show

Keywords: Aerospace industry, Aircraft, Corrosion resistance

Recently at DSEi 2005, ICORE International promoted its capability to design and produce wired systems and complete harnesses for the defence and military aerospace markets. The company also addressed its innovative plated composites capability for lightweight, corrosion resistant materials. The product focus on the stand was ICORE's electrical interconnect and hose products in aerospace and military applications.

“ICORE functions as a design partner to its customers”, explained Simon Comben, European Sales Manager at ICORE.

“Our approach is to design a solution that fits the customer's requirements, as opposed to simply trying to ship commodity product. By becoming involved at the drawing board stage, we are able to produce a product that offers the precise solution demanded by our customers. In fields such as defence, where mistakes simply can not be made, we see this as the minimum requirement.”

“For instance, because of ICORE's extensive experience in aerospace and defence applications, we are able to provide in-depth knowledge of individual shielding requirements such as EMC, EMP, RFI, HIRF, TEMPEST and lightning strike protection. This kind of capability complements our client's in-house design team”, concluded Comben.

High on ICORE's list of priorities for the defence industry is the development of new methods of providing improved corrosion resistance in aircraft. As a result, prominent on the company's stand will be its plated composites capability. In ICORE connectors, this can take the form of a copper layer next to the shell, overlaid with a protective electroless nickel layer. Despite what might have been expected to the contrary, when tested in a salt-spray cabinet, these connectors showed almost zero corrosion after 2,000 h exposures. For applications where this is not possible, and aluminium must be used, ICORE, working with its suppliers, has developed a modified electroless nickel-plating process.

ICORE experts were on hand to discuss its traditional conduit systems adaptors and back shells. Conduit materials range from high temperature, and lightweight materials such as PTFE and PEEK to rugged neoprene and Limited Fire Hazard Kafon 2000 heavy-duty materials. These, combined with a wide variety of overbraid and sheath materials, offer mechanical and electrical screening protection for wired harnesses in applications ranging from antennae and secure communications systems to ammunition hoists.

Details available from: Icore International Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1753 574134, Fax: +44 (0) 1753 823674, E-mail: christine.wickings@icore.co.uk; web site: www.icoregroup.com