Manufacturing propellers

Dowty Propellers uses a secure data-logging system for its fabrication process.

The propeller fabrication process at Dowty Propellers' Gloucester factory in the UK involves many complex stages, including carbon-fiber cloth lay-up, heat treatment, and resin molding. All stages obviously need accurate monitoring, with key parameters being automatically logged for regulatory purposes.

The data from each part of the process is centrally archived in a secure, tamperproof form to ensure that records are maintained to the high standards of integrity. Dowty, a part of Smiths Aerospace, has installed a number of Eurotherm data-acquisition and recording products throughout the facility, all of which are connected to a central server and database, via an internal Ethernet data link.