Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine Volume 425 - January 2016 | Page 18

AEROSPACE TT ELECTRONICS - SEMELAB

ing size and weight, whilst maintaining the
required performance levels of reliability and
thermal efficiency. This capability when combined with TT Electronics research and development support to future market trends and
technology emergence, enables Lutterworth
to provide our customers with immediate and
future solutions.”
Major aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, is
one example of a partner that has benefitted
from TT Electronics’ expertise. This partnership has operated successfully for many years
and continues to see innovative techniques
applied to products as aircraft become
increasingly reliant on electronic systems.
The on-going challenge for the A380, as with
all most modern aircraft, is a necessity to
operate with increased power density, while

components work more efficiently and for a
longer period of time.
Interestingly, the A380 was the first commercial aircraft to use a fully electronic
reverse thrust mechanism and the modules
for that application were developed by the
Lutterworth facility. The current “Modular
Development Program” has now further progressed this product to fit multiple applications enabling reduced part count for customers. In this particular case one module

Major aircraft
manufacturer, Airbus, is
one example of a
partner that has
benefitted from TT
Electronics’ expertise.
now supports both the fuel
transfer and feed pump. This
modular solution was also
designed to offer an
improved
mean-timebetween-failure (MTBF) performance and extend its lifespan in line with the aircraft’s
operational life.
For the next generation of

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MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

aircraft motor drives, TT Electronics was challenged to develop a solution to align with the
customer’s complex circuitry requirements
within a low inductance “hybrid” module.
This challenge drew significantly on the previous
program experience
and
advanced
research on
best
design
material practices of
the Lutterworth team
which enabled an engineered solution that overcame
the high power density required.
This was achieved whilst satisfying the
significant challenge of thermal bond integrity
in application that needed a very thin module
that would not warp under the extremes of the
functionality required.
This type of resourcefulness is a pivotal asset
for the Lutterworth site and indeed, the TT
Electronics group as a whole. Equally important
is their willingness to continually think ahead.
This combination provides a strong foundation
for the business to anticipate and address
emerging market requirements, for example
improving the vital thermal performance of its
products by employing emerging semiconductor
technologies such as silicon carbide and gallium
nitride as an alternative to silicon chips.