Avionics test rig readily created from customer’s original design drawings

Verotec’s manufacturing, design, modification and customisation capability enabled a 12U (533.4mm) 19-inch application-specific avionics test rig to be created from the customer’s original design drawings in a short timescale through a combination of computer-aided design, bespoke manufacturing and modification of already designed standard products.

The 12U aluminium front panel is a standard product; it was extensively machined with various sizes of holes, rebates and connector cut-outs on its in-house automated aluminium CAM machining centre, a Datron M8Cube machining centre, one of only a handful in the UK. The M8Cube features a 1020mm x 830mm x 245mm XYZ traverse path, a 10 tool changing station, vacuum workpiece clamping, and automatic XYZ measurements. Many apertures were also counter-bored on the rear face of the front panel. In the design office, middleware enabled information to be translated directly from the customer drawings into Adobe Illustrator, which produced the output file for the full colour digital printing on the front panel. The body of the unit was formed from individual sections of steel to give rigidity and strength to the unit, says the company.

Tim Armstrong, Verotec’s commercial director, said, “This project is a classic demonstration of our ability to leverage our extensive standard product portfolio with advanced design and manufacturing capability to give our customers a bespoke solution to meet their application’s requirements. We delivered the first complete units a very short time after receiving the order from our customer. We are increasingly finding that customers appreciate the cost and time benefits of modifying standard parts rather than designing a completely custom enclosure.”