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Four UAV parts, worked through
How we approach parts that come up on almost every airframe, and the detail that decides whether they work.
These are worked examples of our process, not case studies of named customers. We do not publish customer names, drawings, photographs or order data, and we are not going to invent any to fill this page. Ask at RFQ and we will talk through a part like yours on a call.
- Part
- Split arm clamp for a 25 mm boom
- Material
- 7075-T6
- Quantity
- 120 pieces per release
- Finish
- Hard anodise, black
Split arm clamp for a 25 mm boom
The problem. A clamp that holds a carbon boom has one job: grip without crushing. Bore it on the nominal 25 mm and the clamp closes on nothing, because the tube itself runs a few hundredths under. Bore it too tight and the screws never pull the halves together.
How we cut it. We cut the bore round and concentric in one setup, then saw the clamp open, so the gap opens after the bore is finished rather than before. The seat is 25 H7 with a slot that closes 0.3 mm under clamp load. First article measures the bore before and after separation, because those are two different numbers.
What you get. A clamp that torques to spec on a tube at the low end of its own tolerance, and comes off again without a puller. Hard anodise goes on after separation so the bore keeps its size.
- Part
- Motor mount plate, 90 mm square
- Material
- 6061-T6
- Quantity
- 40 prototypes, then 400
- Finish
- Clear anodise, laser marked
Motor mount plate, 90 mm square
The problem. Motor bolt circles are unforgiving. If the four holes drift, the stator sits crooked, the airgap changes across a revolution and the motor runs hot at hover.
How we cut it. Bolt circle, center bore and the mating face are machined in one setup on the 5 axis so nothing is referenced twice. True position on the circle is held to 0.04 mm and the face is flat within 0.02 mm over 100 mm. The CMM report prints the four positions individually rather than an average.
What you get. Mounts that interchange across a fleet. When a motor is swapped in the field the replacement sits the same way the first one did.
- Part
- ESC housing with an o-ring groove
- Material
- 6061-T6
- Quantity
- 25 pieces
- Finish
- Black anodise, type II
ESC housing with an o-ring groove
The problem. A sealed housing for an agricultural aircraft has to keep spray out at 2,000 hours and still open for service. Most leaks are groove problems, not gasket problems: the groove is cut to the cord diameter instead of the compressed height.
How we cut it. Groove width and depth come off the seal maker table for the cord and the squeeze, not off the CAD model. The sealing face is milled last so it stays flat after the pockets are cut out of the back, because a part with 70 percent of its mass removed moves.
What you get. A housing that seals on a standard o-ring, with the groove dimensions on the inspection report so the next lot is identical.
- Part
- Pocketed center plate, 2.5 mm webs
- Material
- 6061-T6
- Quantity
- 60 pieces
- Finish
- As machined, deburred
Pocketed center plate, 2.5 mm webs
The problem. Plates are where designers take weight out, and thin webs are where plates warp. Machine one side, flip it, and the stress that was balanced in the billet is not balanced any more.
How we cut it. Rough both sides, let the part rest, then finish. Tabs hold the plate until the last pass, and the final cuts are light enough that they do not put stress back in. Flatness is checked on the surface plate, not assumed.
What you get. Plates that sit flat on the stack without being pulled flat by the screws, which is what puts a preload into an airframe that nobody designed for.
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