How to creatively replace discontinued universal joints

一个全球designer, manufacturer and integrator of precision motion control products needed universal joints for sensor applications of aircraft wing high lift actuation systems (HLAS). Because the company’s original universal joint vendor discontinued the product, it had to locate a new supplier who could satisfy an extremely tight production schedule quickly and skillfully. The new vendor had to be thoroughly familiar with manufacturing standards specific to the commercial aerospace industry. AS9100 qualification, which is scarce among universal joint manufacturers, was an additional requirement.

Aircraft universal joints must be manufactured to withstand the most demanding operating conditions—and the harshest working environments—with as little maintenance in the field as possible. Thus, low deflection rates, high strength-to-weight ratios and long service life are all essential.

该公司选择了Belden Universal，该制造商在设计用于航空航天应用的定制通用关节方面具有丰富的经验，包括高升力驱动，襟翼开放以及转向和控制机制。

Engineering and quality management teams on both sides carefully reviewed design details and associated standards. The requested universal joints were to be used in aircraft fail-safe systems. Among the customer’s specifications were in-process control and marking requirements, along with performance and dimensional criteria.

One of the challenges was that the original product had been manufactured from a material only available through a European supplier. However, sourcing raw material from overseas would have resulted in critical time loss, making production from scratch out of the问题。为了规避这些时间限制，贝尔登的设计工程师提出了一种创新的解决方案：对制造商现有的军事规范关节进行一些少量修改将使他们能够忠于原始部分，并仍然满足客户2级的飞行临界应用要求。这些关节是根据“ MIL-J-6193”要求制造的。作为MIL规格的“合格产品”制造商，Belden具有制造最终产品的必要资格。在合适的生产过程阶段进行了现有组件进行了重新路由，这允许进行必要的修改并支持紧密的时间表。

为了确保最佳性能，所有这些关节都需要进行MIL-J-6193组进行很多合规性测试。与外包测试相比，内部测试可带来直接的结果，确保通用关节的质量和可靠性始终如一，并减少交货时间。

制造过程得到了无纸检查平台的进一步支持，从而可以更轻松地维护数据。与传统的纸质记录相比，操作员手动检查检查和工具要求，该平台可以自动化，简化和加快程序，并使生产团队的所有成员可以随时查看实时数据。它指定了要测量的功能，适当的工具，用于测量和选择各种功能的检查规范。

The end result was a universal joint that fit, formed and functioned in the same fashion as the obsolete part, delivered on schedule and in compliance with the stringent specifications of the aerospace industry.

贝尔登普世
www.beldenuniversal.com