Urgency Meets Accuracy
Composite Manufacturing Solutions for Aviation Industry
Industry: Aerospace Manufacturing and Repair
Location: New Mexico, USA
Southwest Composite Works set out to deliver high-precision composite components on a highly compressed timeline to support urgent aerospace maintenance and repair operations for an aerospace company. The mission required rapid coordination, exacting tolerances, and reliable performance to ensure the aircraft could return to service without delay, demonstrating our ability to meet industry-critical demands under pressure.
About
The aerospace company supports the world’s top airlines with expert repair, fabrication, and replacement of critical aircraft components. From sheet metal and duct repairs to fuel tank inerting systems, they restore parts to OEM or better-than-OEM standards, often at a fraction of the cost of new components.
950+
PARTS
MANUFACTURED
PARTS
MANUFACTURED
ALL PARTS MET TOLERANCE SPECS WITHIN
±0.005"
±0.005"
Challenge
- Tight deadline: Southwest Composite Works was tasked with producing a large volume of complex composite components within a very short timeframe.
- Expiring materials: Advanced prepregs with limited shelf life required immediate processing, compressing the production window and leaving no room for delays.
- High production complexity: Coordinating the simultaneous fabrication of multiple precision parts demanded meticulous scheduling and efficient resource management
- Full team mobilization: Meeting urgent delivery timeline without sacrificing quality required full engagement across all departments, from engineering to layup to final inspection.
"We are extremely happy with the level of service, and workmanship Southwest Composite Works is providing. We look forward to this relationship continuing into the future."
Solution
- Material reliability: Used high-performance, MDA-free condensation polyimide fiberglass prepregs to meet aerospace-grade requirements.
- Precision manufacturing: Employed CNC-matched tooling to ensure accuracy and repeatability across all components.
- Shelf-life management: Implemented strict temperature control and expiration monitoring protocols to preserve prepreg integrity.
- Custom tooling: Machined complex, in-house tooling to match the unique geometries of parts like diffuser struts and cone baffles.
- Efficiency improvements: Optimized layup schedules and introduced time-saving fixture designs to increase throughput without sacrificing quality.
- Integrated quality control: Conducted dimensional checks across production batches, tracked materials continuously for compliance, and performed in-process inspections to ensure consistent performance.
HIGH QUALITY ACROSS HIGH-VOLUME BATCH
Conclusion
The project showcased Southwest Composite Works’ ability to execute complex, high-stakes composite manufacturing on a tight timeline. By combining in-house tooling, precise machining, and disciplined material management, we delivered mission-critical components with exceptional quality. Our successful partnership underscores our role as a reliable supplier in the aerospace repair supply chain, and reinforces our commitment to delivering excellence under pressure.
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