Space and Defence

Prototypes, lightweight structures, ground support equipment and replacement parts for Canadian space and defence programs.

Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy aims to buy far more of its defence equipment from Canadian companies, and space and defence programs both need suppliers who can turn a drawing into a part quickly. That's the work we do: prototype structures, fixtures for assembly and test, and replacement parts for equipment that has outlived its supply chain.

What we make

• Lightweight structures: carbon fiber panels, tubes and brackets, with bonded or bolted metal fittings.
• Machined parts in 6061 and 7075 aluminum, titanium and stainless steel, with 5-axis machining for pocketed, weight-reduced parts.
• Metal 3D printed parts with internal channels and lattices, machined on the faces that matter. See 3D printing.
• Ground support equipment: handling fixtures, assembly jigs, test fixtures and transport frames.
• Uncrewed systems: carbon fiber airframe parts, arms and booms, and machined motor and payload mounts. See drones and UAVs.
• Replacement parts for equipment in service: obsolete parts reverse engineered, documented and remade. See the ball screw case study.
• Prototypes for development programs, including funded projects such as IDEaS and Innovative Solutions Canada.

Why carbon fiber for space hardware

Aluminum grows about 23 µm per meter for every degree Celsius. A quasi-isotropic carbon laminate grows only around 2 to 4. For mounts that have to hold alignment through large temperature swings, that difference matters as much as the weight saved. See how tooling expansion affects carbon parts.

Proof in Our Own Products

Our own products use the materials and joints this work depends on: prepreg carbon fiber compression molded to repeatable dimensions (SSD Enclosure 1), machined titanium bonded to a hollow carbon shaft (Ski Pole 1), and electronics packaged in machined metal (V1 Laptop Stand).

Tell us at the start

• Controlled goods or export-controlled data. Tell us before sending drawings so we can confirm how the work will be handled.
• Vacuum and temperature. Resins, adhesives and coatings for vacuum use need low outgassing, tested to ASTM E595, and the layup has to handle the full temperature range.
• Specifications. Alloy and temper, heat treatment, finish and coating specs, and any non-destructive testing.
• Paperwork. Tell us what you need, such as AS9102 first article reports, material certificates and certificates of conformance, and we confirm it before quoting. See quality.

Guides

• Carbon fiber grades: T300, T700, T800 and M40J
• Heat resistance of carbon fiber and resin Tg
• Bonding carbon fiber: adhesives and joint design
• Bolts and inserts in carbon fiber parts
• 3D printing vs CNC machining vs injection molding
• Case study: reverse engineering a ball screw

Send the drawing, the program stage and any controls on the data. We'll tell you quickly whether it's a fit.