CASTING-TO-HOGOUT

This part was originally designed to be made out of a casting. There is a hollow cavity running from one end of the part to the other that would normally be difficult if not improbably to machine. Unfortunately the casting supply chain often shows itself unreliable. We were able to machine this part from standard aluminum plate stock, avoiding the need to procure anything from a casting supplier.

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Supply chain reliability is becoming increasing important in the aerospace industry where AOG conditions and project delays can lead to $millions in losses. Eliminating an additional sub-tier supplier and moving to an easily available stock material (plate stock) reduced the lead-time by over 50%. And the best part (no pun intended), the machined version of the part costs less than the cast version.