Case Study: Soft Interior Re-Set
Customer: Helicopter Company
Services: Design, Engineer, Manufacture and Install a complete soft interior for a fleet of S-61T Helicopters for the US Department of State
Commencement: Since 2012
Soft Interior Re-Set
Challenge
Our customer offers the most advanced rotor blade technology offered in the rotorcraft industry today. Their trained mechanics are best utilized working on the helicopter’s mechanical systems and not tied up in sewing soft interiors. Our customer after inspecting Ehmke Manufacturing Company’s soft interiors on the CH-47 Chinook, the CH-46 Sea Knight, and the V-22 Osprey quickly understood that Ehmke Manufacturing Company possessed the skill & expertise to design, fabricate & install a soft interior to meet their requirements. In addition to the fabric soft interior, an attachment system of custom hardware and brackets needed to be developed to properly attach the soft interior panels to the interior airframe. Since the helicopter were decades old, Ehmke Manufacturing Company needed to remove existing adhesive & Fastening Tape, paint and debris from the airframe elements and protect the soft interior from any hydrocarbon fluid leaks that may have developed over the years.
Ehmke Manufacturing Company had to operate under a very tight schedule within a small budget to complete the work required.
Solution
Ehmke Manufacturing Company provided a temporary, ON-SITE, full-service sewing shop set-up next to the aircraft in the hanger to meet our customer’s mission. Ehmke Manufacturing Company personnel stripped and prepped the airframe members to receive the necessary fastening tape to secure the soft interior panels. Ehmke Manufacturing Company worked with a local manufacturer to design and produce an Attachment System that was easily installed to mount the soft interior. Starting from a “behind schedule” status, Ehmke Manufacturing Company worked off shifts to install the soft interior to make up time. Ehmke Manufacturing Company reviewed the performance criteria required for the soft interior and recommended the correct three-layer insulated material to successfully meet those requirements.
Results
Ehmke Manufacturing Company’s soft interior portion of the contract was delivered on-time and under budget. Ehmke Manufacturing Company now performs ON-SITE soft interior re-set programs for many customers throughout the United States.
Customer Profile
Our customer was tasked by the US Department of State to retrofit a fleet of aging S-61T helicopters. The retrofit included a complete replacement of the soft interior. Our customer’s expertise lies in composite rotor blade technology, not industrial cut & sew.