What's New at Comtek

Comtek Awarded Composite Floors Contract on De Havilland Canadair 515

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:27:57 GMT

Modernized flooring system for De Havilland Canada's updated Aerial Firefighting Aircraft

Comtek Advanced Structures Ltd., a Latecoere Company (Comtek) has been awarded the design-build contract for composite floors on the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) De Havilland Canadair 515. The scope includes the complete flooring system for cabin and cockpit areas.

The De Havilland Canadair 515 (DHC-515) is a new production purpose-built amphibious firefighting aircraft developed by De Havilland Canada as an update to the CL-415 waterbomber. Building on the exceptional operational capability of the CL-415, this next generation aircraft offers added benefits to operators, including design changes that incorporate new materials and corrosion protection to reduce maintenance costs, along with a complete upgrade of the flight deck with an advanced avionics suite.

Comtek will supply a modernized flooring system that incorporates advanced composite materials and lightweight panel design. Panels will be fabricated on Comtek’s highly optimized panel production line located in Burlington, Ontario.

“We are excited to build on our growing relationship with De Havilland Canada by bringing our advanced composites design and manufacturing expertise to the DHC-515 program” , said Robin Lovell, President of Comtek Advanced Structures. “As a leading aircraft flooring supplier, we have the know-how to help De Havilland Canada reach their performance and longevity goals.”

Earlier this year, Comtek became the floor system supplier for De Havilland Canada’s Twin Otter Classic 300-G™, further strengthening the relationship between the two Canadian companies.

Comtek has a 30-year history supporting De Havilland Canada’s Dash 8 aircraft with flooring systems and structural repair services . With its unique repairs capabilities Comtek has become a premier repair facility for the Dash 8 program with operator and MRO customers world-wide. Comtek intends to also support the fleet of aerial firefighters (CL-215/415 and DHC-515) with similar repair services as the company continues to grow its support to De Havilland Canada and its fleets.

Comtek Awarded Composite Floors Contract for DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:05:28 GMT

Lightweight Flooring Solution for De Havilland Canada's Refined Twin Otter

Comtek Advanced Structures Ltd., a Latecoere Company (Comtek) has been awarded the design-build contract for composite floors on the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G™. The scope includes the complete flooring system for cabin and cockpit areas.

De Havilland Canada’s DHC-6 Twin Otter is an iconic twin turboprop, 19-seat utility airplane. The program has been a success for more than 50 years thanks to the airplane’s reliability and its versatility in cabin and landing gear configurations. This latest variant, the Classic 300-G™, launched in 2023, is the result of extensive consultation with customers to fine-tune the iconic aircraft for today’s passenger and special mission requirements.

“As a Canadian company, Comtek is proud to be part of the Twin Otter success story” , said Robin Lovell, President of Comtek Advanced Structures Ltd. “We are excited to add our flooring expertise to the Twin Otter and make our contribution to this great Canadian program. In addition, we remain committed to supporting De Havilland Canada’s other aircraft programs with composite parts and repair services with the goal of keeping their fleets in service for longer and with greater efficiency.”

Comtek’s history with De Havilland Canada aircraft goes back decades both in flooring systems and structural repair services . Comtek has been the floor system supplier for De Havilland Canada’s Dash 8-400 turboprop since the program was launched back in 1995 by Bombardier as the Q400 and has supplied aftermarket upgrade floors for previous Dash 8 models since the mid-1990s. Comtek’s Dash 8 repairs experience goes back to 1994 when the company was founded with an early focus on repairing Dash 8 parts. Comtek has since developed hundreds of unique repair capabilities for complex damaged parts, including leading edges , engine structures and flight control surfaces . Today, Comtek remains a premier repairs facility for the Dash 8 program, serving operators and MROs world-wide.

United Way Plane Pull

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:12:34 GMT

Team Comtek flexes muscles at the 2024 UPS Plane Pull & United Way Halton & Hamilton Campaign Kick-Off

What an amazing event for an important cause! A spirited team from Comtek flexed their muscles this past weekend to raise funds and awareness at the 2024 UPS Plane Pull & United Way Halton & Hamilton Campaign Kick-Off. Team Comtek was one of many energetic teams in friendly competition to be the fastest to pull a 200,000 pound Airbus 50 feet across the tarmac at Hamilton Airport.

The plane pull serves as the official kickoff event for the United Way Halton & Hamilton’s annual fundraising campaign. The event brought together 60+ teams, 700+ participants, and a huge number of supporters to raise funds that directly support our community’s most vulnerable to address issues of food insecurity, housing, mental health and youth mentorship. The event raised over $217,000 (and counting) towards United Way Halton & Hamilton's annual goal of $12.5 million.

A huge thank you goes out to the members of Team Comtek and to all Comtek employees, friends and family members who donated to help support those in need in our community!

5-Years Accident Free

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 18:52:35 GMT

Comtek celebrates 5 years without a lost time incident.

As of July 25, 2024, Comtek Advanced Structures Ltd. has reached an important safety milestone by completing 5 years with no lost time incidents. This represents a huge achievement and reflects the commitment of our employees to keeping everyone safe. For all the hard work and dedication required to ensure a lot happens in terms of productivity, an equal amount of commitment is needed to ensure nothing happens in terms of safety accidents. We proudly acknowledge this commitment as we celebrate this important 5-year milestone.

What is lost time? Lost time occurs when an employee is injured while carrying out work-related activities for their employer and is unable to return to work due to the injury.

How we have reached this milestone:

Developing safe work practices and procedures
Documenting near misses
Promoting safety as being everyone’s responsibility
Conducting Safety Management Visits at a rate of at least 2 per employee per year
Completing Safety Talks across all levels of the organization
Dedication of our Safety Committee

Our Safety Management Visit Program functions to collaboratively identify and remediate risks in behaviour and workplace conditions. They are carried out by two managers that visit one employee who may perform ‘at risk’ activities and/or work in ‘at risk’ environments such as areas in production, maintenance, or shipping. These SMVs provide the mechanism for management and employees to discuss safety practices, procedures and any safety concerns together as a team. The managers provide a fresh set of eyes that may help identify unseen hazards on the job or pick up a good practice that we can implement in another area to improve safety. It also provides a chance for management to celebrate good practices exhibited by employees.

Safety Management Visit 2024 - Employee behaviour and work conditions are evaluated in a collaborative manner to help identify and mitigate risk.

Reaching the five-year mark without a lost time incident is a testament to the ‘safety first’ culture of our employees and our safety-oriented processes. We take great pride in our current standing yet refuse to become complacent. We will remain diligent in our safety practices to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees.

Thank you to all Comtek employees for doing your part to ensure a safe workplace for us all.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility!

Comtek Celebrates 30 Years

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 19:55:48 GMT

This year marks Comtek's 30th anniversary, prompting a retrospective of the pivotal moments and milestones that have shaped our journey.

Established in 1994, Comtek initially operated as a small facility specializing in the design, manufacturing, and repair of advanced composites. Over time, our business has transformed into a highly specialized entity with a strategic focus on three core offerings.

Aircraft Structural Repair Services
Aerospace Composites Design & Manufacturing
Aerospace Panel Systems

Aircraft Structural Repair Services

Comtek’s early repair work was primarily for Dash 8 aircraft with a focus on developing repair solutions for commonly damaged parts. By 1997, Comtek had pioneered repair processes for extensively damaged composite leading edges including punctures and major damage from bird strikes, becoming the only Approved Facility for major custom repairs on Dash 8 leading edges. Over the next 25+ years, we would continue to develop over 1000 repair schemes that we leverage to address complex and extensive damage. Our ability to return heavily damaged parts to service has become a staple of Comtek’s repair capabilities as we continue to provide value to our customers with aging fleets. Today, Comtek provides repair services for all the main regional airplane programs including Dash 8, CRJ, E-Jets and ATR.

Aerospace Composites Design & Manufacturing

At the heart of Comtek’s core is the drive to advance composite manufacturing to produce lighter weight, lower cost yet high performing aerospace components. Over the years, we have completed numerous challenging projects by developing and qualifying new material systems and manufacturing processes to meet the lightweight goals of our customers. From material selection to part design, process development, prototyping, and manufacturing, Comtek has completed a wide array of projects tailored for challenging aerospace applications.

Comtek's pioneering resin infusion technology originated with the development of prototype carbon structural parts for Formula 1 race cars in 2002. Since then, we have further enhanced the technology for aerospace applications, including the production of resin-infused parts for the Airbus A380 program. These were among the very first parts to have been certified and introduced into service on a Part 25 commercial transport – in this case, the world's largest transport aircraft!

We continue to leverage resin infusion and other out-of-autoclave technologies on new aircraft programs based on a strong cost advantage compared to legacy composites production methods such as autoclave cure. From the development of high strength, collapsible transit cases to our extensive work in aero-engine components, our get it done culture continues to drive us to provide the innovation that supports our customers’ goals.

Aerospace Composite Panel Systems

With early focus on repairs, Comtek serviced hundreds of damaged floor panels and quickly gained valuable expertise on airplane floor panel design . We learned why panels failed, where they failed, and how to remedy panel durability through improved design. Our entrepreneurial culture drove Comtek to implement improvements, paving the way for our first Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) in 1995, which allowed us to sell Comtek-designed and built replacement panels for Dash 8 airplanes. Then, in 1997, we secured our first OEM contract for the design and manufacture of the complete flooring system on Bombardier’s Q400 program launch (now De Havilland Dash 8-400), which we continue to support today. These two early successes were the first key milestones in what followed as a highly successful journey of floor panel supply for Business Jet and Regional airplane markets. Today, Comtek remains a key supplier of floor panels for Bombardier business jets, and provides OEM or aftermarket supply of floor panels for nearly every major Regional airplane program.

Comtek - 30 Years at a Glance

1990’s – Take off

1994: Opened as a small composites repair facility, quickly developed repair capabilities for regional aircraft, specifically Dash 8 and CRJ models
1995: Developed our first floor panel - a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Dash 8
1997: Moved into greenfield state-of-the-art facility in Burlington, Ontario
1997: First floors contract – design/build supply of Q400 (now Dash 8-400) floor system for Bombardier

2000’s - Regional Jet Era

2000: First Regional Jet floors contract – CRJ700
2001: First Commercial contract – A380 packboards (among the very first resin-infused parts to be certified and introduced to service on a Part 25 commercial transport)
2005: CRJ900 floors contract – design/build
2008: Acquired by Avcorp Industries (BC, Canada), a leading North American supplier of aerostructures
2009: CRJ1000 contract - design/build

2010’s – Business Jet Era

2012: First aero-engines production contact (composite engine structures for business jet applications)
2013: First Business Jet floors contract – Global 7500/8000 floors and avionics racks - design/build
2014: Challenger 650 floors - design/build
2014: Launched upgraded aftermarket E-Jet floor panels product line
2015: Global 5500/6500 floors and avionics racks (work transfer)

2020’s – New Opportunities

2021: Added E-Jet cargo floor panels to portfolio of E-jet panel offering
2022: Comtek acquired by Latecoere, a Tier 1 international partner to world-leading aircraft manufacturers
2023: Added repair capabilities to support the E-Jet fleet (E170/E175, E190/E195)
2024: Comtek and Latecoere selected by Pratt & Whitney Canada to design and build underwing fairing for the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator

A Future Focused on Customer Success

As we celebrate three decades of innovation and program success, we look forward to our near and long-term goals. Our focus remains on helping customers design lightweight aerospace components for new and retrofit applications, and supporting the active fleet with fast, competitively priced, high quality repairs and floor panels. We will continue to work alongside airplane OEMs and aero-engine OEMs to support next-generation technologies that make air travel greener and more efficient. We will also continue to develop new solutions to address the evolving needs of our customers’ fleets as airplane models phase into and out of service.

Comtek selected for RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 20:49:24 GMT

Pratt & Whitney Canada selects Comtek and parent Latecoere to design and build a major structural composite assembly for the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator program

RTX hybrid-electric flight demonstrator (image courtesy of Pratt & Whitney Canada)

Comtek Advanced Structures along with parent company Latecoere have been selected by leading engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada to design and build a major structural assembly for the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator program. Comtek/Latecoere will design and build the underwing fairing, an all-composite 2-meter-long and articulated assembly mounted with the hybrid-electric propulsion system on the starboard inner wing of the experimental aircraft testbed.

Read the full story on the Latecoere website: https://www.latecoere.aero/en/rtx-hybrid-electric-flight-demonstrator-program-pratt-whitney-canada-selects-latecoere/

Robin Lovell, President of Comtek said: "This is the first significant engineering collaboration between Comtek and our colleagues at Latecoere in Toulouse since Latecoere acquired Comtek in 2022. We have learned very quickly in this collaboration that each team brings its own unique yet complementary expertise to the project team. This combined know-how will be an asset to providing a complete solution and we are eager to move forward on this exciting program together."

Comtek Celebrates its 1000th E-Jet Floor Panel Delivery

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 18:19:35 GMT

Congratulations to an Amazing Team Reaching this Milestone

Comtek developed its E-Jet panels to provide operators with an upgraded aftermarket alternative to OEM panels. Our goal was to provide high performing panels with shorter lead times. Today’s 1000 panel milestone is evidence of our plan’s early adoption success, which has only been possible thanks to the dedication and hard work of our engineering, production, quality and customer support teams. We are excited to reach this milestone and are encouraged by the future. We will continue to add to our portfolio and seek ways to provide better value for our customers.

Comtek’s E-Jet panels are upgraded floor panels for Embraer E170, E175, E190 and E195 airplanes that provide improved durability over original OEM supplied panels. They are stiffer, more dent resistant and have more flexural strength. Click here for more details .

Recently, we have added new products and services as part of Comtek's strategy to grow our E-Jet service offering:

In late 2021 Comtek expanded to its E-jet product offering by introducing E-Jet Cargo Panels to our list of supported part numbers. So far the cargo panels have been well received by operators.

In spring of this year, we added E-Jet repair capabilities for structural parts, such as flight control surfaces, engine inlets, cowls, thrust reversers, and fairings.

We will continue to add capabilities and products to support E-Jet and other airplane fleets.

Please contact us today to learn how Comtek can help support your E-Jet fleet!

Comtek receives JCAB Approval

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:37:47 GMT

Added Capabilities for Japanese Operators

Comtek is pleased to announce that we have recently gained JCAB approval through Transport Canada in accordance with the Technical Arrangements for Maintenance.

As a Design Approval Organization, Comtek has the authority to repair extensively damaged components well outside typical SRM limits. To date, we have developed over 800 approved repair designs, and we are backed by an on-site engineering team to quickly develop new repair solutions. The addition of JCAB approval to Comtek’s scope of abilities allows us to perform component repairs that are outside of OEM approved data for operators in Japan by utilizing our Transport Canada approved repair schemes. To our customers in Japan, this means that a part that would previously be scrapped could potentially be returned to service through a Comtek proprietary repair, saving the operator significant money and time.

Comtek provides operators of Regional airplanes with structural component repairs to metallic and composite parts. We have comprehensive repair capabilities for E-Jets, CRJs, ATR and Dash 8 airplanes.

We are committed to increasing the level of service and solutions to our current and future customers in Japan and across the globe.

Now Available: E-Jet Repairs

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:28:38 GMT

Comtek is now providing structural repairs for E-Jets

Comtek is pleased to announce that we have expanded our capabilities to support the E-Jet fleet with structural repairs. We now provide repair services E170, E175, E190 and E195 airplanes.

With the knowledge and expertise gained over the last three decades repairing composite and metallic structures on Regional airplanes, we have developed an expertise in both routine and highly complex repairs, along the way developing hundreds of repair solutions including unique solutions for heavily damaged parts. We are now applying this know-how to serve the E-Jet fleet.

Continuing our legacy of offering complete solutions, Comtek is able to repair virtually any structure, including: flight control surfaces, engine inlets, cowls and exhausts, thrust reversers, ducts, access panels and fairings.

Expertise beyond SRM Limits

As a Design Approval Organization (DAO), Comtek has the authority to repair extensively damaged components well outside typical SRM limits. We already have hundreds of engineered repair solutions for Dash 8 and CRJ airplanes, and we are eager to apply these solutions to the E-Jet fleet.

Happy Customers

Every year our customers rate us highly on key performance metrics including turnaround time, quality, price and customer service. 97% of our repairs customers said Comtek met all expectations last year and 90% of repair customers from five years ago are still Comtek customers today.

Industry-Leading Warranty

We stand behind the quality of our work with an industry-leading 2-year warranty on all repairs.

Customer Loyalty Program

We are committed to building and maintaining long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. In support of this commitment, we provide annual rebates to our loyal repairs customers. The program is simple and transparent with a rebate offer that is equal for all customers.

Comtek Holiday Food Drive 2022

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 16:35:05 GMT

Every year, the team at Comtek raises funds to support local families in need through our annual Holiday Food Drive. This season’s donation will provide $16,000 worth of food for Hamilton Food Share, a local charity that raises food and funds for emergency food programs including food banks and hot meal programs across the city of Hamilton.

Join us by visiting the Hamilton Food Share website to learn how you can help.

Latecoere Welcome Event

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 14:24:53 GMT

A Celebration as Comtek Joins the Latecoere Group

Today, Comtek celebrated a welcoming event following Latecoere’s acquisition of Avcorp Industries last week.

Comtek is now part of the growing Latecoere Group .

The day gave our 85+ employees an opportunity to connect with senior leadership from Latecoere over lunch, coffee, and desserts to celebrate the beginning of a new era as we grow stronger together and talk about our common future around one purpose: to serve aerospace with innovative solutions for a sustainable world.

Headquartered in France, Latecoere is a Tier 1 international partner to the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers with activities in all segments of the aerospace industry (Commercial, Regional, Business and Defense/Military). Latecoere supplies Aerostructures (aircraft doors and fuselage sections) and Interconnection Systems (wiring, avionic racks, and on-board equipment). More about Latecoere can be found at www.latecoere.aero .

We look forward to continuing to focus on innovation, to bring advanced composite solutions and repair expertise to our customers.

Now Available: E-Jet Cargo Floors

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 20:11:56 GMT

We are pleased to announce our new cargo floor panels for E170/75 and E190/95 airplanes

Comtek is now offering Cargo Panels for the E-Jet family of airplanes. The new panels add to Comtek’s existing portfolio of floor part numbers on the E-Jet, building upon our upgrade panels for passenger areas, which offer improved stiffness, strength, and dent resistance over OEM-supplied panels.

Key Benefits:

Short Lead Times
Exceptional Quality
Improved Durability
2-Year Warranty

Our new cargo panels are constructed with premium heavy duty cores and an asymmetrical skin design with additional plies to produce stiff, durable, and high quality panels. Each skin is designed to carry added loads caused by bending, such as when walked on or loaded with cargo. Top skins are thicker than bottom skins to provide enhanced durability and dent resistance. Panel edges are potted to prevent liquid/moisture ingression and preserve the useful life of the core. The inserts feature an upgraded construction to minimize pull out and shear damage.

Heavy Duty Construction without the Heavy Weight

Our panels come with an industry leading 2-year warranty and are backed by our exceptional customer service.

View our E-Jet floors offering on our website or contacts us for the complete list of part numbers and pricing.

New Model Accurately Predicts Deflection and Stress in HSP Structures with Minimal Computational Complexity

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 19:13:37 GMT

Comtek’s Engineering Manager, Stefan Kloppenborg, along with former R&D employee, Hart Honickman, recently published a new mathematical model that describes the way composite materials respond to bending moments and shear forces. This model predicts the deflection and stress distribution within a beam made from a layered composite material. This new model provides more accurate results compared with a Timoshenko First-Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) and is much less computationally complex than Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

This model is particularly well suited to analyzing sandwich panels, a key material used in Comtek’s lightweight composite product offering. Analytical tools like this new model allow Comtek to perform rapid trade studies while developing new products.

Full details of the model are provided in a journal article in Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids:

Honickman, H. and Kloppenborg, S. A simple higher-order beam model that is represented by two kinematic variables and three section constants. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids. February 2021. DOI: 10.1177/1081286520988876

A post-print of the paper is available at: https://www.kloppenborg.ca/pdf/Honickman_Kloppenborg_2021.pdf

For more information about this model, connect with Stefan on LinkedIn .

Comtek Holiday Food Drive 2020

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:07:21 GMT

Every year, Comtek runs a Holiday Food Drive to help support families in need in our local communities. Despite the unique challenges faced this year, the team at Comtek stepped up to raise $10,750 worth of food donations.

The donation will be made to Hamilton Food Share, a local charity that raises food and funds for emergency food programs including food banks and hot meal programs in neighbourhoods across the city of Hamilton. Learn more about the charity at the Hamilton Food Share website - www.hamiltonfoodshare.org .

Trusted Experts in Leading Edge Repair

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 14:34:59 GMT

The numbers speak for themselves. Over the past 12 months Comtek has repaired hundreds of leading edges. From boot installs to major damage repairs, Comtek provides a complete range of services backed by experience, industry leading warranties, and customer confidence.

Comtek has full scope solutions for leading edge repair . Primarily focused on composite leading edges for Dash 8 aircraft, Comtek also repairs leading edges for ATR, Saab, and Dornier aircraft along with metallic leading edges of regional jets.

Common repairs:

De-icer boot removal and installation
Outer ply reskins
Inner skin ply repairs
Overhaul – including ribs
Landing light assemblies

Expertise in Returning Heavily Damaged Parts to Service

Comtek has unique and proprietary capabilities to repair extensively damaged parts. As a Design Approval Organization, we can repair and certify parts damaged beyond typical SRM limits, including those that other facilities may deem Beyond Economic Repair. We literally wrote the procedure on major damage repair – In the 90’s, Comtek developed repair schemes in collaboration with Bombardier (De Havilland) for major repair to leading edges on Dash 8 aircraft. Since that time, these repairs have saved our customers thousands over the cost of full replacement. To date, Comtek remains the only facility listed on De Havilland RD’s that is approved for major damage repair to Dash 8 leading edges.

With our experience, our streamlined facilities, and proven processes, we can repair BER parts faster than replacing with new, at a fraction of the cost and with similar warranty.

As OEM production parts become more difficult to source, we are helping to fill the gap with our range of repair services. For Dash 8-400 specifically, we also offer PMA/PDA leading edges.

Quality Repairs backed by Strong Customer Service

We have a dedicated customer service team for our repairs group that is responsive, experienced and committed to meeting our customer satisfaction goals. The results of our last annual survey indicate that our repair customers view Comtek highly across all key performance metrics including price, turnaround time, quality, customer service and on-time delivery.

We are committed to building and maintaining long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers. In support of this commitment, we provide annual rebates to our repairs customers through our Customer Loyalty program.

Experts in Leading Edge Repair

Beyond SRM limit Solutions
Competitive Pricing with Fast Turnarounds
Industry-Leading 2-Year Warranties
Customer Loyalty Program
Satisfied Customers

Comtek Delivers Final Shipset of CRJ Floors

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 14:58:52 GMT

The End of an Era

Today Comtek prepared its final shipset for delivery to the CRJ production line.

Comtek has been a proud supplier to the CRJ7/9 program since its beginning, supporting Bombardier with the design and certification effort, and manufacturing the floor panel system on the CRJ700. Comtek was also awarded design-build contracts for floors on CRJ900 and CRJ1000 in 2005 and 2009, respectively, to support the complete CRJ line up.

Over the 20-year span, Comtek has delivered over 900 shipsets for new CRJ production - equivalent to more than 55,000 panels - always on time with exceptional quality. While we are sad to see the last one go, we are proud to continue to support the operators of this great aircraft for many years to come. Comtek will continue support for the active fleet of CRJs with spare parts and repairs of structural components , such as engine inlets and cowls, thrust reversers, flight control surfaces, radomes, ducts and leading edges.

Durable Dash 8 Debris Cones for Less

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:23:11 GMT

P/N 87140303 -003,-005,-007 | 87140304 -001,-003,-005

Comtek supplies PDA/PMA debris cones for the Dash 8-100, -200, and -300 series aircraft. These cones are components of the lower engine cowl assembly that function to funnel foreign objects, such as sand and rocks from the intake air stream safely through the engine cowl to an exit door.

Comtek's debris cones offer enhanced durability to the original design at a significantly reduced cost. Our innovative composite design is optimized for a prolonged service life and minimized weight, and eliminates issues with fatigue, corrosion and cracking experienced with the original metallic design.

Benefits:

PDA/PMA Approved - Accepted by TC, FAA, EASA
2-year warranty on material and workmanship
Durable, light-weight composite design that eliminates corrosion, fatigue, and cracking problems
No aircraft modifications required
In stock and ready to ship

Forward Debris Cone

P/N 87140303-003 / -005 / -007

Aft Debris Cone

P/N 8714304-001 / -003 / -005

Comtek’s debris cones are competitively priced, in stock and ready to ship, and backed by an industry-leading warranty. Contact us today to learn more about our debris cones and other solutions supporting the Dash 8 fleet.

cmstatr – Composite Material Statistics in R

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:29:30 GMT

Comtek has released an open-source R package for statistical analysis of composite material data

All materials have inherent variability in their strength. Composites are no different. In aircraft design, this variability is accounted for by using statistical methods to determine a lower tolerance bound on the material strength – in essence, calculating the lowest strength that most parts made with a material are likely to have. Doing this type of statistical analysis is a core part of what Comtek does when we test the materials used in our aircraft component designs.

Spreadsheets are available that use macros to do these computations. In the past, Comtek had used these spreadsheets, but more recently, Comtek has been using the R language to do more of our statistical analysis. The R language provides a much more powerful statistical environment compared to spreadsheets, and it allows us to streamline the way that we write statistical analysis reports.

Example output of analysis using the cmstatr package

Comtek has created a singular package containing all statistical methods that we routinely use so that our engineers can use them more effectively within the R framework. We called this package “cmstatr” as a shorthand for Composite Material Statistics in R. In order to be completely transparent with our customers and regulators, we’ve decided to make this package freely available and have released it under the AGPL version 3 license. This allows anyone to see how the statistical methods work and verify that they are correct. It also allows anyone to use this package - we hope that this will help the broader community bring more composite solutions to market.

More information about the software and documentation for the cmstatr package is available at the cmstatr website ( https://www.cmstatr.net ). The paper by Kloppenborg (2020) in the Journal of Open Source Software provides a brief introduction to the cmstatr package.

Comtek Delivers One-Off Composite Part to Support Customer Fleet

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:39:03 GMT

Recently, one of Comtek’s customers needed a fairing built for newly converted aircraft that matched an existing component on their in-service airplanes. Comtek had designed and manufactured the original fairing but due to the age of the design, recertification was now required because of material obsolescence. The customer no longer had tooling or a model for the part, and also requested alterations to the part so a full-scope solution was required. Comtek’s Engineering team started from a set of dimensional and structural requirements from the customer, then designed the shape, selected materials and lay-up configuration, made structural analyses, and completed the certification process with Transport Canada.

Comtek visited the customer’s site to perform an outer mold line scan of the existing part installed on one of the in-service aircraft. A 3D Measurement Device (CMM FaroArm) was used to measure the part details. The data collected was brought back to Comtek’s Engineering team in Burlington, Ontario and then used to develop a precise CAD model of the fairing. Using this model, and under our guidance and supervision, we tasked one of our tooling contractors to produce a carbon-fiber lay-up tool. We used this tool in one of our Out-of-Autoclave (OOA) composite part fabrication cells to produce a new glass-Kevlar fiber prepreg part. The use of OOA technologies keeps tooling costs down, removes the added expense associated with an autoclave, and shortens the overall production time. The production cell is comprised of a ply cutter room, clean room for lay-up, oven for cure, trim and drill, CMM Inspection, and then prime and paint .

Comtek Engineer Taking On-Aircraft Measurements

CAD Model Developed from CMM Data

Low Cost Tool Produced for Composite Part Lay-up

Whether our customers require hundreds of parts on an OEM program or a one-off to match an existing part, we are committed to developing solutions for all customer needs, regardless of scope. We take enormous pride in our know-how and efficiency to produce aerospace quality composite parts. We have the ability to produce virtually any composite component quickly and cost-effectively thanks to our knowledgeable engineering team, our established facility resources, and our proven OOA technologies.

Assessing Aircraft Floor Panel Damage

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:25:54 GMT

Your team is in the midst of a heavy check or conversion and a damaged floor panel is discovered. What is the solution? The lowest cost solution is attractive, but it also has to be quick. Unless you have a shelf with spares at your disposal, you are going to need to have the panel repaired or buy a new replacement. The decision on which route to take depends heavily on the type, severity and location of damage.

Floor panels can experience damage due to regular wear-and-tear, abnormal loading or impacts. This is especially the case for heavy-use areas including cargo holds and passenger entryways. While it is normal for floor panels to experience damage throughout their service life, prompt detection is important in identifying any airworthiness concerns and to ensure the damage does not increase beyond safe and repairable limits. The aim of this post is to provide general information on floor panel damage along with guidance on how to assess it. The floor panels’ associated Component Maintenance Manual (CMM) must be consulted for specific instruction. If you require a CMM for a Comtek panel or have a question about a CMM revision, please contact us .

The CMM provides guidance on how to diagnose, quantify, and classify damage. The CMM outlines allowable damage limits and repairable damage limits. Damage outside of repairable damage limits typically requires complete panel replacement. Consulting the CMM at the sign of damage will reveal important information on the repairability of the damage.

Damage can vary in type including:

Dents
Skin punctures and broken skin
Delaminated skins
Crushed, soft core
Cracked, loose, or missing edge filler
Damaged inserts
Loose or missing foam tape
Damage to the overlay

Comtek can repair damaged panels, but it’s usually not the best solution

We regularly have floor panels sent to us for repair but normally the better option is replacement. Our panel manufacturing system is built for efficiency so it’s faster and less costly for us to make a new panel than to repair a damaged one. As an added benefit, we provide warranty on the entire replacement panel, whereas if a repair is made to a panel, only the area repaired is warrantied.

When is repairing a floor panel an option?

Floor panels can typically be repaired when minor damage exists, and the damage is not located near critical areas of the panel such as edges or inserts. Generally speaking, these repairs will be faster and less costly than replacement if the repair can be completed in-house. They can also be done by an approved facility using repair kits specified in the CMM.

Depending on instructions in the CMM, candidates for repair may include:

Skin punctures – with acceptable clearance from edges or inserts
Crushed core (soft spots) – depending on proximity to edge or inserts
Torn edge tape and/or smoke seal
Damaged edge fill

As per the CMM, repairs must be made using materials in the specified repair kit. To order repair kits, contact us . Repair kits can often be used for multiple repairs and are available to ship quickly.

Send us Photos, not Panels

Before shipping a damaged panel to Comtek, contact us first! We can save time and money.

We can evaluate damage from photographs and advise a solution before money is spent. If replacement turns out to be the best solution, as it normally is, we will have the opportunity to save shipping costs and get the order into production much earlier.

When is replacement necessary?

In the simplest terms, panels must be scrapped and full replacement is needed when damage exceeds allowable and repairable limits specified in their associated CMM. These types of damage could include:

Damage located at an edge or too close to inserts
Heavily contaminated panels
Crushed areas that make up large portion of the panel

In all cases, the panel’s CMM must be consulted for specific instruction.

Cost may also be the primary consideration for full replacement. Depending on the extent of damage and the cost of shipping the panel two-ways for repair, it might make more sense to order a replacement panel. The replacement will be fully warrantied and may arrive faster than the repaired panel can be returned, especially when panels are ordered AOG.

Have a question?

We are aircraft floor panel experts.
Contact us .

CRJ Mixing Manifold Repair Solution

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 21:22:48 GMT

Comtek has developed a unique repair scheme to restore delamination damage typical on mixing manifolds.

Repair for P/N GG670-95021-X
CRJ Mixing Manifold

APPLICABLE TO:

CRJ 700
CRJ 900
CRJ 1000

BENEFITS:

Robust Repair
Cost-Effective Solution
Fast Turnaround

A mixing manifold is an interior part installed under the floor in the aft cabin. It's purpose is to mix fresh air from the air conditioning packs with recirculated, filtered air from the cabin. Damage occurs in-service due to moisture around the baffles that causes delamination of the inner skin with the core. Comtek has developed a repair solution for this issue.

To develop the repair, Comtek’s engineering team first needed to identify the material information of the original duct and then produce a design for repair that was both economical and fast. A series of qualification procedures were required, including flammability testing and pressure testing to ensure the airworthiness of the Comtek solution.

To our knowledge, Comtek’s delamination repair is the only known repair available on the market today for this part.

Comtek Holiday Food Drive

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 15:45:46 GMT

Every year, Comtek runs a Holiday Food Drive to help support families in need in our local communities.

Between the company and it's employees, Comtek raised $9,350 worth of food donations for Hamilton Food Share, a local charity that takes healthy and good product deemed surplus and un-salable by food industry standards and redirects it onto the tables of the people who need it the most. Learn more about the charity at the Hamilton Food Share website - www.hamiltonfoodshare.org .

Season's greetings and have a safe and prosperous New Year!

The Importance of Aircraft Floor Panels

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 15:37:09 GMT

They’re not simply sheets of honeycomb sandwich panel

Often overlooked as being a less glamourous part of any aircraft, floor panels have an important role in more than simply providing a flat surface to walk on. They are a component of the aircraft structure, which means they play a role in the overall safety of an aircraft during normal operations, emergency landings and rapid decompression events. Modern panels may also include additional functionality that can provide benefits in conductivity and cabin configuration versatility.

Floor panels, sometimes referred to as floor boards, are mounted to the aircraft’s floor beams to provide a surface for passengers and crew to walk on and provide attachment points for certain furnishings and other components. They must be adequately strong and stiff to act as a supporting structure; durable to withstand use over time; light enough to help keep aircraft weight low; and in some cases, versatile to allow a variety of cabin configurations .

Floor Panel Construction

Most floor panels have common components, each adding functionality to the overall performance of the panel.

Panels are commonly fabricated from honeycomb sandwich panels with glass/carbon/epoxy faces and an aramid core. Inserts are installed in the panel to provide a means of attaching the panel to the airframe. Panels may have foam installed on surface areas to combat vibration, noise and in some cases provide a smoke seal to prevent smoke from entering the cabin. Some panels include edge fill, which helps prevent liquids from getting into the panel structure and reduce its durability.

Floor panels can be supplied in either standard or heavy-duty configurations depending on the application. For example, heavy-duty panels are often preferred for use in heavy traffic areas and cargo areas where the panels endure additional wear. These panels may have thicker cores, enhanced skins and/or an overlay mat for added durability.

The use of composite honeycomb sandwich panels in aircraft structures provides the advantage of lightweight material in combination with an array of beneficial mechanical and chemical properties including:

Durability
Strength
Stiffness
Impact and crush-resistance
Shear strength
Flammability resistivity properties
Sound and thermal insulation

The specification to achieve these benefits must be carefully balanced to optimize performance-to-price goals. Designing a panel that exceeds strength and durability metrics is of no use if the panel system becomes too heavy or too costly to manufacture. Thus, the design requires a careful balance to produce the right panel system for each aircraft program.

The recipes that make up the design and specification of each panel is an area of expertise for Comtek. We have experience that goes back to the mid 1990s and we continue to develop new solutions for lighter weight, more durable panels.

Flooring is a Structural Part of the Aircraft

While extremely lightweight, floor panels are considered to be a structural part of the aircraft and are required to withstand a specified level of shear force in order to brace the floor beams of the aircraft in the event of crash. This is particularly important in lighter aircraft such as business jet platforms and regional aircraft, which have lighter under-floor structures than large commercial jets.

An often overlooked requirement of floor panels is to withstand loads caused by rapid decompression cases. In the unlikely event of cabin decompression, in the seconds between a loud “bang” and the oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling, the cabin has decompressed but the compartment under the floors is still pressurized. This causes an upward load on the floor panels that they must withstand while the pressure above and below the floor panels is equalizing. If the floor panels were to break under this load, they could cause injuries to the passengers, and a hole in the floor would make evacuation after landing more treacherous. This decompression load is in the opposite direction than the normal direction of loading of the floor panels, so the panels and the inserts that attach the panel to the aircraft structure need to be carefully designed to withstand loads in both downward and upward directions.

To the uninitiated, the strength of floor panels might seem excessive. Floor panels are typically designed for a certain floor loading (expressed in lb/ft2 or kg/m2). This floor loading reflects the maximum amount of "stuff" – people and cargo – that can be carried in the compartment. But airplanes don’t just sit idle; they maneuver, and they fly through turbulence. The maneuvering and turbulence cause accelerations that magnify the loads caused by the “stuff.” The ultimate load factor, which accounts for maneuvering and turbulence, plus a safety factor, can be above 9 g’s in some aircraft. Considering this load factor, an average North American adult (178 lb) would apply 1,600 lb to the floor panel – that’s about the weight of a concert grand piano plus two people playing it.

Aircraft floor panel load factors can be above 9 g's - meaning an average North American adult of 178 lb would apply 1,600 lbs to the floor panel, roughly the same weight as a concert grand piano plus two people

Additional Roles of Modern Aircraft Floor Panels

With increasing demand for choice, airlines are taking advantage of cabin configurations to differentiate from their competition and improve revenues with premium seating. Facilitating multiple configurations without changing panels requires panel design with the versatility to meet all configurations. This means more inserts, and typically more weight to the panel, and more areas of potential failure.

Another role, primarily used in business jets, is the need for floor panels to have high conductivity, which is needed to create an electromagnetic shield in the cabin. This allows the use of portable electronic devices in the cabin without interfering with the operation of the aircraft.

To meet these challenges, Comtek has developed lightweight inserts and a processing technology that consistently produces a high-strength bond between the insert and the panel that resists degradation from environmental effects. These lightweight inserts have since been incorporated on now-active aircraft programs and can be tailored to new applications. Comtek also has a high conductivity solution that far exceeds typical aircraft level EMC requirements.

Given the structural requirements of the floor panels in various loading cases, as well as the EMC requirements, inspecting floor panels in service and performing repairs according to the Component Maintenance Manual when required, or replacing with a new panel is an important part of ensuring that the aircraft remains safe.

Comtek is an expert in composite panel design and manufacture, producing light weight, durable panels for more than 25 years. If you have a project using a panel system, contact us to find out how we can help you develop the right solution.

Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 13:48:04 GMT

In celebration of Comtek's 25th birthday, we take a look back at how far we have come and some of our key milestones along the way.

Repairs

In 1994 Comtek opened as a small facility dedicated to advanced composites design, manufacturing and repair. At that time, the use of composites was somewhat new to the industry and Comtek found a niche providing repair solutions.

Initially, Comtek repaired parts primarily for Dash-8 aircraft with a focus on developing repairs with damage that exceed typical repair limits. In 1997, Comtek developed repair processes for extensively damaged composite leading edges, including punctures and major damage from bird strikes. 22 years later, Comtek remains the only Approved Facility for major custom repairs on Dash-8, and Q-Series leading edges. Since then, we have added capabilities to repair more parts on more aircraft. We now offer a growing library of over 850 repair schemes that we use to address complex and extensive damage to a variety of components. More recently, we have developed repairs for CRJ Ram Air Ducts and an Acoustic Liner repair for Q400 engine cowls.

Earlier this year we opened a new repair facility in the United Kingdom to provide closer service to our customers across the Atlantic.

Today we repair more than 800 components a year for more than 30 operators world wide.

Panel Systems

Although early focus was on repairs, the entrepreneurial and inventive culture drove Comtek to develop weight and performance improvements for composite floor panels. Our first Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) was received back in 1995, allowing us to sell replacement panels for Dash-8 aircraft. By 1997 we had our first OEM contract, on the Q400 launch. Since then Comtek has become a key supplier to Bombardier and has grown to produce more than 18,000 OEM and aftermarket panels per year. Some of our milestone programs are shown in the timeline below.

By onboarding turboprop, regional jet and business jet floors programs over the past 25 years, Comtek has grown to become the largest floor panel supplier in the Regional/Business segment.

Advanced Composites Design & Manufacture

Over the years, we have completed challenging projects by developing and qualifying new material systems and manufacturing processes to help customers design new lightweight components.

Comtek's resin infusion technology began with the development of prototype carbon structural parts for Formula 1 race cars in 2002. Since that time, we have further developed the technology for aerospace applications, including the production of resin-infused parts for the Airbus A380 program. These were among the very first parts to have been certified and introduced into service on a Part 25 commercial transport – in this case, the largest transport aircraft in the world!

We continue to leverage resin infusion and other out-of-autoclave technologies on new aircraft programs, based on a strong cost advantage compared to legacy composites production methods such as autoclave cure. From the development of high strength, collapsible transit cases to our extensive work in aero-engine components, our innovative "get it done" culture continues to drive us to provide the solutions our customers need.

The next 25 years...

Today, our focus remains on helping customers design lightweight components for new aircraft and retrofit applications. We remain committed to providing fast, competitively priced, high quality repairs and floor panels for our airline operator customers and will continue to develop new solutions to meet the changing needs of their fleets.

Comtek Opens Repair Center in United Kingdom

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 14:19:21 GMT

We are pleased to announce that Comtek has opened a new repair center in the United Kingdom, bringing Comtek-quality repair solutions closer to operators in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Comtek's new UK repair center is located in Manchester, England where it is well supported by the city’s talented pool of technical people, its airport and established industrial infrastructure.

Comtek has nearly 25 years of experience repairing structural components on regional aircraft, with specific expertise on Bombardier's Dash-8, Q400 and CRJ aircraft.

Learn more about our repair solutions .

Comtek Certified to ISO 9001:2015

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Comtek is now certified to ISO 9001:2015 standards, helping to ensure our customers receive consistent, high quality parts and services. This latest update to our Quality Management System supports our commitment to increasing customer value through innovation that reduces costs, shortens lead times and improves product performance.

The following certificates have been updated:

AS9100D Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations
view certificate
AS9110C Quality Management Systems - Requirements for Aviation Maintenance Organizations
view certificate

Learn more about our quality and regulatory approvals.

Comtek Launches a New Website

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

We have launched a new website with the aim of providing a more complete presentation of who we are and the solutions we provide our customers. Since we are involved in different levels of the aerospace value chain with each segment having distinct needs, we find that an awareness of all the products and services we provide is seldom complete. We have rearranged the site's structure with this in mind to help visitors understand Comtek's business and the unique range of services we provide across business jet, regional aircraft and aero-engine markets.

In a nutshell, we:

Supply aircraft OEMs with composite component design and manufacturing services:
- Composite panels
- Engine components

Support fleet operators and MROs with component repairs and replacement parts:
- Structural component repairs
- Aftermarket floor panels

Congratulations Bombardier. Global 7000 Flight Test Vehicle 5 Inaugural Flight

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Earlier today, the fifth and final Global 7000 flight test vehicle, FTV5, completed its inaugural flight in Toronto, ON.

As a proud supplier to this program, we at Comtek would like to congratulate the Bombardier Aerospace Team for achieving this great milestone.

Comtek Receives AS9110B Certification

Wed, 23 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Comtek Quality Management System certified to comply with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 + AS9110B

We are pleased to announce that Comtek has received AS9110, Revision B certification.

Formally titled “AS9110 Quality Maintenance Systems ‐ Aerospace ‐ Requirements for Maintenance Organizations”, AS9110 provides the same level of control and customer confidence for Comtek’s repair customers as AS9100 provides to customers of Comtek’s manufactured products.

“Ensuring customer confidence is vital to Comtek’s culture of building successful long‐term relationships”, states Spencer Warren, Quality Assurance Manager at Comtek. “By improving our quality management system to meet AS9110 we are exhibiting our commitment to provide repair services at the highest level of satisfaction while also minimizing our customers’ need to manage risk as trained, professional auditors are checking our performance.”

This certification has elevated Comtek's Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) to the global standard established by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) for the aerospace industry.

Learn more about Comtek's quality approvals .

Comtek Awarded Bombardier's Global 7000 and Global 8000 Business Jets Floors Supply Contract

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce Comtek has been awarded a contract to design and manufacture the floor panels on Bombardier Aerospace’s* Global* 7000* and Global 8000* aircraft.

Comtek will commence design engineering in early 2014. “Comtek is pleased to continue its support of Bombardier through the Global 7000 and Global 8000 aircraft programs”, states Brent Collver, President of Comtek, “It is Comtek’s culture to continuously innovate and deliver the highest performing products to our customers. This culture is at the core of our long-standing relationship with Bombardier and we are excited to expand it further into Bombardier’s premier business jet segment”.

Comtek currently supplies floor panels to Bombardier Aerospace for the CRJ700*, CRJ900*, CRJ1000*, and Q400* aircraft and also provides aftermarket supply to aircraft operators.

* Trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

Comtek Receives Latest PDA Approval on Embraer 170/190 Floors

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Comtek has received PDA design approval from Transport Canada on the Embraer 170/190 cabin & baggage floors, allowing Comtek to develop aftermarket floors for this aircraft. Under the existing bi-lateral agreements, this PDA approval is accepted under FAA and EASA airworthiness rules.

This approval allows Comtek to leverage its extensive experience in the design and manufacturing of floor panels on other aircraft platforms to sell a cost competitive product directly to Embraer operators with improved lead times over OEM. The floor panels are constructed to be highly wear resistant for maximum durability and are guaranteed by a 2 year warranty that covers materials and workmanship.

Comtek will continue to expand the list of available part numbers based on customer demand until such time as the 170 and 190 platform portfolios are complete.

Learn more about our E-Jet Floors .

Comtek Announces New Lower Price for CRJ200 Aftermarket Floor Panels

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

As a continuous improvement initiative, Comtek has rolled the production of the CRJ200 aftermarket floor panels into the OEM production line resulting in an immediate price reduction for customers. A streamlined approach to the construction of the product has successfully increased overall efficiencies while maintaining the same high quality standard.

By combining the two production lines, our improved process has allowed us to capture the efficiencies and economies of scale associated with full production rates. This results in better pricing for our CRJ200 floor panels.

The CRJ200 aftermarket floor panel line encompasses the complete set of CRJ200 cabin and cargo area floors. Comtek will continue to offer the same product with heavy-wear resistance for maximum durability and a 2-year warranty that covers materials and workmanship. The product is delivered ready to install and requires no aircraft modifications.

Learn more about our CRJ floor panels .

Comtek Sponsors University of Western Ontario Aero Design Team

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

SAE Aero Design competition on March 15th to 17th in Fort Worth, Texas

Comtek Advanced Structures proudly sponsors the University of Western Ontario Aero Design team to support their efforts in the SAE Aero Design competition on March 15th to 17th in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Aero Design team, an undergraduate engineering student run club, will be entering two classes of the competition with their “advanced class” and “micro class” aircraft. The objective of the advanced class design is to build an aircraft powered by a nitro engine capable of dropping a three pound humanitarian aid package from a distance of 100ft. The objective of the micro class is to design and build an aircraft powered by an electric motor that can take off and land with the heaviest payload.

The U of W team will manage the entire project by researching, analyzing, designing, constructing and testing the aircraft to get it ready for the competition. Comtek’s involvement will include CNC machining to produce the fuselage foam core piece of the aircraft based on CAD drawings from the team and will provide guidance and on-site support throughout the project. “The Aero Design Team consists of a group of smart, enthusiastic and elite engineering students and we are happy to provide the team with practical skills that aren’t necessarily available in the classroom”, says Charlene Ridley, Product Line Manager at Comtek.

In exchange for their support, Comtek will have the satisfaction of helping a motivated team of engineering students and seeing the company logo proudly displayed on the body of the aircraft.

Q400 Lower Cowl Acoustic Liner Repair Offered by Comtek

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Latest repair capabilities for the Q400 lower cowl include the acoustic liner and the modification to ensure interchangability

We have added repair capabilities for the Q400 lower cowl including the acoustic liner and the modification of the L/H and R/H lower cowls to give interchangeability. The acoustic liner repair capability is in direct response to the large number of acoustic liners that are being damaged from heat, air flow, moisture and foreign object debris (FOD).

Comtek’s repair capabilities offer a unique solution that not only saves the aircraft operator a significant amount of time and money but allows for the acoustic liner repair to take place without removing the intake. In addition, the local repair maintains the part shape, doesn’t change the acoustic liner properties, does not block the drain channels in the OEM part or hold moisture. The Comtek acoustic liner repair offers a unique solution to a common problem.

New Floor Upgrade Packages for Dash 8 Q400

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Floor upgrades include the forward and aft entryways, and the aft upper baggage bay.

Comtek Advanced Structures has developed several floor upgrade packages for the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft.

The floor upgrade packages are available for the forward entry, aft entry and the aft upper baggage bay. Due to high levels of traffic and stress during regular use, the floor panels in these areas need to be replaced or repaired frequently.

Comtek developed floor panel upgrades using more robust materials such as heavy duty honeycomb core to increase stiffness and durability and a mat overlay to reduce surface wear and increase impact resistance. These upgrades will give operators an increased operational life on each of the panels by improving the reliability of the aircraft with respect to these areas. Each floor upgrade package comes with a 24 month warranty on materials and workmanship.

Learn more about Comtek's Q400 floor panels .

Comtek is AS9100 Rev C Certified

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Comtek Quality Management System certified to comply with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 + AS9100C

We are pleased to announce that Comtek has received the latest AS9100 Rev C certification. The certification signifies that Comtek Advanced Structures operates a Quality Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 + AS9100C.

Comtek holds certification for design, manufacturing, repair and associated testing of structures for aviation and space applications, including internal and external fuselage, flight surfaces and engine cowlings. Comtek’s Rev C certification confirms our dedication to achieving the highest standard of customer satisfaction and confirms that we have robust and sustainable processes in place to deliver perfect quality and 100% on-time delivery.

The AS9100 Rev C standard was established by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) to establish a commitment to quality and a willingness to work towards improving product and process integrity. The focus is on improving supplier performance and customer satisfaction by taking into account new requirements from aviation, space & defense, staying abreast of emerging environmental requirements and supporting the IAQG strategy of having 90% of the supply chain certified.

Comtek’s registration was granted by SAI Global an ANAB Accredited organization.

Learn more about Comtek's quality approvals .

New CRJ Transcowl Repair in Response to AD

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

AMOC repair scheme for the CRJ700/900 Transcowl fixes problems highlighted by TCCA AD: CF-2009-33 and FAA AD: 2011-17-12

Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have issued Airworthiness Directives (AD) for the Bombardier CRJ series 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes mandating the inspection and reinforcement or repair of transcowl assemblies (Reference- TCCA AD: CF-2009-33; FAA AD – 2011-17-12).

Several cases have been reported of cracks in the joint extrusions securing the outer bondment to the acoustic panel of the nacelle transcowl assemblies. This could potentially cause an acoustic panel failure and possible runway debris, resulting in a number of potential safety and airworthiness issues.

In direct response to the Airworthiness Directives (AD), Comtek Advanced Structures has submitted and received approval on an AMOC repair scheme for the CRJ700/900 Transcowl for the following transcowl part numbers: CN624-2001-XXX, KCN624-2001-X with serial numbers up to and including SB0964. As a Transport Canada approved DAO, Comtek maintains a vast library of approved repair schemes for primary and secondary aircraft structures.

Learn more about Comtek's repairs .