Non-contact Displacement Sensors for Aerospace Markets

Capacitec Boeing vs Airbus A350

Aerospace is a major market for Capacitec’s non-contact displacement, gap mapping sensors and systems. Our customers build/rebuild commercial and military aircraft and engines. For 40+ years we have worked closely with OEM manufacturing, quality engineers, and R&D to enhance their production and quality control methods. Capacitec’s Gapman® Gen4 replaces mechanical feeler gauges with high-precision, non-contact portable gap measurement technology. Gapman® Gen4 allows fast insertion into gaps down to 100 microns which makes it ideal for aircraft wing and fuselage assembly operations. 

 

Capacitec’s gap sensors map large inboard areas of CFRP/Aluminum/Titanium parts to be joined so they fit perfectly.

Capacitec’s portable battery-operated Gapman® GEN4 achieves shimming gap measurements five times faster compared to traditional feeler gauges. This reduces overall costs, enhances structural integrity and greatly assists process improvement. 

The internal data logger feeds a gap measurement database to produce close-fitting shims with superior precision for fastener installation. This increases ship set production rates and improves profitability when compared to traditional feeler gauges and documents critical quality values to demonstrate improvement.

 

AEROSPACE SOLUTIONS

GapmanGen3® - The GapmanGen3® “electronic feeler gage” provides a high accuracy non-contact digital replacement to feeler gages with a built-in data logger, the only way to comply with SPC/Six Sigma product gap quality improvements.

LiniGage - The LiniGage is an Aircraft Engine Rotor Eccentricity Realignment System that is used to set the concentricity of engine rotor assemblies improving throughput and quality of engine rebuild.

Fan Blade Measurement - The CMS-3/CHP capacitive hole probe offer a 48 sensor complete hole-mapping sensor in a portable system

MAJOR APPLICATIONS

EVTOL Manufacturing

  • Portable Gap sensing technology is used in EVTOL manufacturing for precision gap measurement to improve production efficiency, quality traceability and safety. 
  • Gapman allows fast insertion into gaps down to 100 microns which makes it ideal for aircraft wing and fuselage assembly operations as well as electric motor Rotor-to-Stator gap concentricity adjustments. 
  • Measure critical assembly gaps across conductive and non-conductive materials including

Aircraft Engines

  • HPC/HPT rebuild eccentricity for CFM56, CF34-10 and others
  • Fan blade length and blade tip gap measurement for GE90, CF6, RR Trent and others.
  • High temperature runout and thermal expansion for P&W 4000 & F135 (JSF) and MTU

Aircraft Structures

  • Gap measurement for shim selection for wing tie plates, skin to frame and frame gaps
  • Gap measurement between airframe subsections such as wings to fuselage
  • Tail section tie plates and horizontal stabilizer gap measurement for Boeing, Airbus, Northrop Grumman, Alenia, BAE, MHI, FHI and KHI
  • “Mapping” bore diameter dimensions on wing tie plates for Airbus A318, A319 and A320
  • Measuring carbon composite outer skins/frame fastening hole diameters for United Launch Alliance (ULA)