Aerospace Panel Storage with Zero-Damage Handling
CLIENT
A Tier-1 aerospace manufacturer producing wing skin panels and fuselage sections for commercial aircraft. Clean room environment, AS9100 certified, zero-defect quality requirements.
SOLUTION
Installed 12-bay TE-1500 system with custom-width arms (3.5m) to accommodate oversized wing panels. Arm surfaces lined with UHMW polyethylene padding for zero-contact-damage storage. RFID tags on each arm level integrated with MES system for automated inventory tracking. Overhead crane with vacuum lifters picks panels directly from extended arms.
The Challenge
Aircraft skin panels worth $50,000-200,000 each were stored on floor stands with foam padding. Forklift handling caused 2-3 panel damage incidents per quarter, each requiring $20,000-80,000 in rework or scrap. Floor storage consumed 40% of the production hall. Panel retrieval required 2 operators and 20 minutes per panel. Inventory tracking was manual and error-prone.
The Solution
Installed 12-bay TE-1500 system with custom-width arms (3.5m) to accommodate oversized wing panels. Arm surfaces lined with UHMW polyethylene padding for zero-contact-damage storage. RFID tags on each arm level integrated with MES system for automated inventory tracking. Overhead crane with vacuum lifters picks panels directly from extended arms.
Results
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“In aerospace, a single scratched panel can cost us a quarter-million dollars. Since installing the Tcrack system, we have had zero storage-related damage incidents. The RFID integration gives us real-time inventory visibility that our AS9100 auditors love.”
— Operations Manager
