Aerospace Prototyping: Alloy Parts Guide
A prototype proves the geometry fits. It does not prove the part is flight-ready — and we will tell you where that line is.
Discuss your partWhat we build for aerospace & defence
Send a drawing and a target quantity. We will come back with material, process and a realistic date, or tell you what we would change first.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Typical parts | Ribbed brackets and gussets · Jigs and fixtures · Bulkhead fittings · Manifold blocks |
| Common materials | Al 6061 · Al 7075 · Ti-6Al-4V · SS 316L |
| Achievable tolerance | ±0.05 mm typical, ±0.02 mm on request |
| Typical lead time | 5–12 working days |
| Industry requirements | ISO 9001 quality systems at partner factories · Material certification per lot · Drawing revision control on every deliverable · NDA available; customer-supplied material inspected and photographed |
What actually goes wrong in aerospace & defence
These are the three problems that decide whether a aerospace & defence prototype succeeds or gets scrapped on arrival.
Thin walls with a tight tolerance
Aerospace brackets are often 1.5–2 mm walls with a hole position tolerance. A thin wall deflects under the tool, so the achievable tolerance depends on the fixturing, not only on the machine.
Material choice is a systems decision
7075 buys strength and costs corrosion resistance. Titanium buys both and costs machining time. For a prototype the right question is which failure mode you are actually testing for.
Documentation for the eventual production run
A prototype that cannot be tied to a released drawing revision will be re-worked. Revision control is part of the deliverable, not admin overhead.
Our approach on aerospace & defence parts
- 01 We quote the prototype against the drawing and note explicitly which requirements are prototype-relevant and which belong to a production qualification.
- 02 Where a thin wall and a tight tolerance conflict, we raise it at review rather than discovering it on the first part.
- 03 Every part ships with the revision marked, so the prototype data transfers to the production order.
The numbers that matter
Related pages
Where a prototype stops short
A prototype answers geometry and fit. It does not qualify a product, and we will not pretend otherwise. These are the questions that need a test programme.
- Flight readiness — a prototype is not a qualification
- Fatigue life under a representative load spectrum
- Material lot certification for a production release