Ram Air Turbine Gantry System
Collin’s Aerospace, a supplier of Ram Air Turbines (RATs) to large Aerospace companies was looking for a partner to automate their state-of-the-art wind tunnel Ram Air Turbine testing and certification process. Important to saving over 5,000 lives, the Ram Air Turbine is a part that deploys from the wing or fuselage of an airplane if power is lost during the flight. The 2-hour process for load, testing, and unloading of this part was time-consuming and cumbersome for Collin’s operators.
Key Benefits:
- State-of-the-art System
- Improved Changeover Time by 95%
- Complete Turn-Key Solution
- All Material Handling Designed by RedViking
- Universal Tooling for Multiple Models
- First in the World
First in the World Automated System
To maximize usage of the wind tunnel, Collins established a goal of 10 minutes for loading, and unloading the RAT. RedViking was ready to take on the challenge and help Collins meet their goal! We pulled from our extensive experience automating complex aerospace test stands to develop a solution that revolutionized the entire Ram Air Turbine testing process.
RedViking worked closely with the Collins team to design a “First in the World” automated gantry system that allows for a changeover time of 3-5 minutes. The RedViking solution is a full, turn-key system that allows an operator to install custom match-plate tooling onto a RAT, and with a portable rigging fixture, navigate it into the wind tunnel. The automated gantry system then takes over while the tooling allows each RAT to connect to its electrical and hydraulic connectors.
Once the gantry locks onto the RAT match plate, it lifts it from the portable rigging fixture and precisely locates it into a pre-determined position in the wind stream for testing. Safety interlocks ensure the wind tunnel area is clear prior to the start of the test. After the test is complete, the operator repositions the portable rigging fixture and the gantry gently places the RAT back on the fixture, disconnects, and the operator removes it from the wind tunnel.
Substantial Decrease in Product Turnover Time
The new wind tunnel allows Collins to install a RAT and mount it more ergonomically and efficiently. RedViking designed and built an automated Gantry and Hydraulic System that helped decrease the turnover of products from over 2 hours to less than 6 minutes.
