Aerospace

Scales and weighing systems for aerospace manufacturing

Scales and weighing systems play a critical role in aerospace manufacturing, both in design and engineering and manufacturing supply chain, in any maintenance that takes place during its lifetime.

Designing and manufacturing aircraft, or retrofitting subassemblies during maintenance, must be done with component and structural weight in sharp focus so that the overall aircraft weight can be recorded.

Operators and pilots must know the weight of an aircraft so they can optimise performance, ensure flight safety, and achieve regulatory compliance. These are all important factors in the supply chain too, in addition to using scales and weighing systems to advance innovation in the aerospace industry.

For this sector, forklift scales and floor scales are often used to weigh individual components during manufacturing, assembly and maintenance, while axle weighing scales are used to weigh complete aircraft for regulatory compliance.

Inventory management solutions and checkweighers can also be used to ensure manufacturers have an accurate supply of components on hand.

The aerospace industry deals with highly complex structures, where even the smallest measurement errors can lead to significant performance or safety issues. Scales can be used to ensure components, such as engines, landing gear, and structural elements, meet weight specifications. By accurately measuring the weight of components and body panels against set quality parameters, manufacturers can detect variations and deviations from specifications, helping to maintain product quality and reliability.

Scales can be used to measure weight distribution across various sections of the aircraft to ensure proper balance, which is essential for aerodynamics and flight stability. When assembling large structures such as wings, fuselage sections, or tail assemblies, scales can be used to check tolerances and ensure that sections are correctly balanced.

Scales can be used to ensure accurate parts counting and inventory control. In some advanced aerospace facilities, automated robots and machines are used in assembly. These systems often rely on scales and sensors to ensure parts are positioned and assembled correctly.