STRUCTURES
Our team knows advanced materials inside and out. From complex geometries to truss structures to panels, we maximize materials to meet the performance objectives of precision programs. We can design your component from scratch, construct a rapid prototype, and test it, or just build to print from your specifications.
The Types of Structures We Build
- Unmanned vehicles
- Hypersonics
- Optical benches
- Radio telescopes
- Instrument structures
- Test fixtures
- Dimensionally stable structures
- Highly integrated structures
- Reflectors
- Antenna structures
- Beams and panels
- Aircraft components
- Munitions
- Low observables
- Housings and fairings
- And more…
Possible Use Case
We can provide a cost-effective composite design with 20X less distortion than its aluminum counterpart. While you could reduce that distortion by another factor of 10X, it would be at substantially higher cost and may not be necessary for your final application. We can help you navigate this decision.
Contract Ready Performance
- Competitive DCAA-Approved Rates
- AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 Certified
- 5S+2 Factory
- Robust Supply Chain
- Significant Cold Storage and Supplies Onsite
- Off-the-shelf Near Zero CTE Product In House
CASE STUDIES
Large Fiberglass Modular Antenna Support Test Structure
Our customer needed a large 60 ft long, 28 ft tall precision deployable test structure. It had to be strong, affordable, lightweight and RF transparent. Rock West proposed a solution using square tubes produced from COTS fiberglass beams. By using smart machining processes for repeatable accuracy, we were able to meet tolerances difficult to reach with large structures.
Thirty Meter Telescope Laser Tracker Metrology Fixture
This ground-based telescope requires precision fixtures to align the nearly 500 hexagonal mirror segments that make up the massive 30-meter primary mirror array. Ten fixtures are required to complete the reflector alignment. It required high precision, low CTE, and aggressive cost containment. We used off-the-shelf zero CTE carbon tubes to engineer an elegant solution.
Large Composite RF Test Body
The customer had the concept of a large 20 ft x 10 ft x 12 inch test body with tight tolerances, small deflection and exacting surface profiles. The project goals included a durable test asset with improved service life at a significantly reduced cost. We achieved significant costs savings by using carbon fiber skins, and the test body is more durable than previous materials and has a longer service life.
Build To Spec Airborne Avionics Workstation
This customer needed assistance with the design and manufacture of a lightweight multi-monitor workstation with a folding table leaf. This technical aerospace program required tight tolerances and material certifications. Our high quality, off-the-shelf products enabled a high-tech, mechanically assembled workstation at an affordable price. The lightweight system is comprised of 100% aerospace-grade hardware with certifications.
Radiation Detection Carbon Fiber Sensor Enclosure
Our customer was seeking a lightweight carbon fiber solution in the shape of a trapezoid to encapsulate their radiation detection sensors. Rock West produced a custom carbon fiber/epoxy enclosure tooled to the inner diameter to ensure tight tolerance, enabling consistent placement of the internal components and halving the weight of the initial prototypes for much easier mobility of the system.
Reaction Structure
Our customer needed a near zero CTE antenna segment for large radio telescope. An aggressive cost target drove the program that included design, test, analysis, and manufacture. Affordable materials and out of autoclave processing helped keep program within parameters.
Low Dielectric Large Antenna Test Fixture
The military needed an antenna support structure for outdoor testing of large antenna. The structure could not influence antenna patterns. The entire 28’ long support structure needed to be free of any metallic components including fasteners, able to withstand 25 Kt wind loads, and produced in 8 weeks. Rock West produced a completely composite structure utilizing extruded epoxy and fiberglass components and composite fasteners.
Banner image courtesy TMT International Observatory.
