LAI International, Inc., a strategic supplier of precision components and sub-assemblies for original equipment manufacturers, is ramping up for production of aerospace components manufactured using new automated parts-handling technology.   

The workstation is capable of producing 800 of the complex parts a day. The components are couplings for high-pressure air bypass devices used on commercial and military jet aircraft.      

"Semi-automatic air-powered actuators in the custom-designed tooling replaces conventional clamping in the manufacturing process, reducing cycle times by 67 percent," said Stephanie Miller, plant manager for the Westminster, Md., facility. "This advanced workstation includes a system for detecting and separating any defects and has a modular design to allow us a higher degree of manufacturing flexibility."   

A long-term agreement with the major aerospace manufacturer is forecast to be valued at more than $1 million annually.   

"The fixture is both evolutionary and revolutionary in the way it incorporates automatic motion systems and controls that have never been utilized in this manner, to our knowledge," David Krump, sales director, said. "The new fixture will allow LAI to handle all current production needs as well as any spikes in our customer's requirements that frequently occur in aerospace manufacturing."