Aerospace Converting
Converting Services for Aerospace
Advantage ConvertingConverting is the process of transforming raw materials—such as films, foils, papers, foams, fabrics, and adhesives—into finished or semi-finished products through specialized manufacturing processes. is at the forefront of the aerospace industry. We’re proud to provide converting services to major aircraft manufacturers, satellite developers, and engineers looking to break world flight records.
Advantage Converting provides a full range of converting services, as well as prototyping and custom die cuttingDie cutting is a converting process that uses a shaped metal die or blade to cut flexible materials into precise shapes, components, or finished parts. This process is commonly used in roll-to-roll manufacturing to produce high-volume parts with consistent accuracy., to help manufacture components used in the aerospace industry. These include cockpit control panels, radio frequency interference (RFI) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and vibration dampeners.
Manufacturing and Converting Applications for the Aerospace Industry
The experts at Advantage Converting are committed to thoroughly understanding every project and developing an optimized solution specific to each client’s manufacturing requirements. Our team has years of combined experience solving the most complex challenges in aerospace converting, including:
- Bonding and joining: Our bonding and joining processes protect aerospace instruments and systems from potentially harmful elements like dirt, dust and moisture while offering an alternative to metal fasteners.
- Batteries: Our state-of-the-art manufacturing processes allow us to produce high-performance battery solutions, including products that maximize operating efficiency while minimizing potentially harmful emissions.
- EMI and RFI shielding: Our EMI and RFI shielding solutions help manufacturers ensure the long-term performance of their most sensitive electronic and digital products.
- Electrical insulation: Electrical insulation is designed to protect an aircraft’s most sensitive components and systems from excessive heat and noise interference.
- Surface protection: We offer several surface protection processes vital for adding toughness, increasing functionality and safeguarding components during flight, including laminating and adhesive solutions.
- Gaskets and sealing: Besides filling the gaps between mating surfaces, seals and gaskets in the aviation and aerospace industry are critical for protecting against corrosive fluids, flames and high temperatures.
- Vibration and noise damping: Vibration-damping solutions enhance aerospace performance, reliability and safety while minimizing noise exposure for passengers and crew members.
Die Cutting, Laminating, Clean Room and Other Manufacturing Services for Aerospace
Advantage Converting’s manufacturing knowledge, exceptional design expertise and superior converting capabilities deliver industry-best solutions that aerospace companies can trust. We offer a range of services to support various manufacturing applications, including:
- Die cutting: Our die cutting capabilities enable us to convert even the most complex and intricate aerospace instruments and systems.
- Laminating: We can perform various laminating functions critical to aerospace manufacturing, including bonding multilayer products, dissimilar materials and adhesive backing.
- Clean room manufacturingClean room manufacturing refers to converting processes performed in controlled environments where airborne particles, temperature, and humidity are regulated to prevent contamination.: We offer the highest-quality clean room manufacturing solutions for the most sensitive aerospace components.
- SlittingCutting a wide web into narrower rolls with controlled edge quality, winding tension, and roll build. and rewindingRewinding is the process of transferring material from one roll to another while maintaining controlled tension, alignment, and roll quality. It is commonly performed after slitting, coating, or laminating operations.: Our unparalleled material expertise and advanced slitting and rewinding equipment make us an industry leader for slitting material critical to aerospace conversion.
Materials We Use for Aerospace Product Converting
At Advantage Converting, our experts have extensive knowledge and experience working with a comprehensive substrate range. Our team strives to help clients identify the most effective material solution for each aerospace product application. Besides being a 3M Preferred Converter, we work with materials from some of the industry’s top manufacturers.
Some examples of the substrates we handle include:
See Our Work
Advantage Converting is proud to work with leading companies to solve real-world challenges – from healing wounds faster to protecting scientific equipment orbiting the Earth.
FAQs
Q: Why do components that pass prototype testing fail in production?
Prototype builds typically use a single material lot, allow more manual adjustment, and occur in more controlled conditions than production. These differences mask process and material variation that only becomes visible at volume.
Q: What is process validation and why does it matter for scaling?
Process validation is the documented demonstration that a converting process consistently produces conforming output under defined conditions. Without it, production performance depends on the same conditions that existed during prototyping—which are rarely replicated exactly at scale.
Q: What is tolerance stack-up and when does it become a problem?
Tolerance stack-up is the accumulation of dimensional variation across multiple layers or converting steps. At low prototype volumes it is manageable; at production volume it becomes a yield driver. Evaluating stack-up before committing to production design and tooling is part of a structured DFM process.
Q: When should a converting partner be involved in the prototype-to-production transition?
As early as possible—ideally before prototype tooling is committed. Early involvement allows the converter to identify DFM risks, establish process parameters across the full material specification range, and build the documentation foundation the production transition requires.
Q: What is clean room manufacturing?
Clean room manufacturing is the use of an enclosed area with strict environmental controls to manufacture sensitive components. The controlled environment – or clean room – limits the presence of dust, airborne microbes, aerosol, and chemical vapors to prevent environmental contamination of sensitive components, such as those for medical, electronic, and aerospace applications.
Advantage Converting has multiple clean rooms that are available for all converted goods. Our clean rooms are certified as ISO 8 / Class 100,000 and ISO 7 / Class 10,000.
Q: When do I need a clean room?
Clean room manufacturing is primarily used when manufacturing sensitive materials that can be easily contaminated or affected by particles in the air. For example, at Advantage Converting, we have used our clean rooms to manufacture advanced wound care products, solar panel components, and vibration dampeners for the aerospace industry. However, a clean room can be used for any converted good. Our experts can work with you to determine clean room requirements for your project.