Prototype Engineering
Turning analysis into hardware — ducts, brackets, cooler installations, instrumented components and test rigs, designed to be flown.
The Problem
Analysis that never becomes hardware changes nothing. The gap between a validated concept and a part that can be installed, instrumented and flown is where many integration programs stall: the analysis contractor hands over a report, and the aircraft developer is left to turn it into metal, composite and wiring alone.
REAH closes that gap. We design the modification, build the prototype, and take it to test.
Cooling-manifold CAD concept, designed to support coolant routing and pressure/temperature instrumentation. Concept status; not manufactured or flight-qualified hardware.
Typical Customer Questions
- Can you deliver the duct, cooler installation or bracket — not just the drawing of it?
- How quickly can a concept be iterated as hardware?
- Can prototype components carry instrumentation without compromising function?
- What is the path from a working prototype to a production-representative part?
How We Work
- Engineer. Design for the installation as it actually is — the real volumes, attachments, service access and load paths.
- Simulate. Verify the concept before cutting material; iterate cheaply in the model.
- Build. Manufacture prototypes using machining, composites and additive methods appropriate to the part and the schedule.
- Test. Fit, instrument and evaluate the prototype on the bench, on the ground and in flight as appropriate.
- Learn. Capture fit, performance, manufacturing and serviceability findings before the design is released or repeated.
- Transfer. Preserve the controlled definition, process knowledge, inspection method and acceptance criteria needed for dependable reproduction.
Typical Deliverables
- Cooling ducts, inlets and outlets from concept to fitted hardware
- Cooler installations, mounts and brackets
- Instrumented components designed for test campaigns
- Test rigs and bench-test fixtures
- Design documentation supporting later production
Evidence
Prototype work is developed and validated on our own flying laboratory and documented in Projects with status labels: tested, under development, planned or conceptual.
CAD concept for a lightweight composite aircraft bracket, illustrating geometry development, load-path thinking and manufacturable detail.
Boundaries and Limitations
- Prototype, production and certification maturity are defined explicitly for every work package.
- Production support is scoped around the required process, supplier and acceptance evidence.
Discuss a prototype engineering problem
Bring the aircraft, operating condition and programme constraint. REAH will map the system, the evidence required and the fastest credible path forward.