Refurbishment of the leading edges of the Jaguar A 157 using EPDM

Secteurs :
Aeronautics
Heritage

Application :
Restoration of the leading edges of vintage aircraft

On a vintage fighter aircraft, the lack of original parts is holding up restoration work and threatening the heritage value of an irreplaceable example. BORFLEX supplied the 1mm EPDM strips required to refurbish the leading edges of the Jaguar A 157, drawing on its expertise in rubber sealing, moulding and extrusion to fulfil a one-off, non-catalogue order.

ISSUE

On a vintage aircraft such as the Jaguar A 157, original parts are rare or no longer available: without replacement parts, restoration work comes to a standstill and the aircraft gradually deteriorates, resulting in a loss of heritage value
Leading edges are subjected to demanding aerodynamic stresses and temperature fluctuations: the use of a material that fully complies with the specifications is essential to guarantee the integrity of the component and ensure strict compliance with aerospace standards.
The standard industry does not deal with single-unit or very small-batch orders: a museum requiring parts for a single aircraft will find no point of contact within the traditional aerospace supply chains

BORFLEX SOLUTIONS

Supply of EPDM by BORFLEX, a material suited to the stresses encountered at leading edges (mechanical strength, temperature resistance, ageing resistance)
Drawing on in-house expertise in rubber sealing, moulding and extrusion, capable of meeting the specific technical requirements of the aerospace sector
Small- and medium-scale production, opening up access to single-unit orders; a one-off item not catered for by standard industry practices

WHAT IT HAS ACHIEVED

The supply of 1mm EPDM strips by BORFLEX has enabled a renovation project to go ahead which had been on hold due to a lack of available original parts. In practical terms, the aircraft can now be restored and maintained in the condition expected by the museum and its visitors. Both parties have described the collaboration as a ‘real success’.

Beyond the Jaguar case, this initiative illustrates a structural feature of the market for the restoration of vintage aircraft: standard supply chains do not cater for one-off orders, even though these are precisely the kinds of orders that this type of museum requires. BORFLEX’s ability to handle small-batch production of technical aeronautical requirements opens up opportunities that are not available elsewhere.