Handling equipment for aerospace manufacturing.

Aerospace is a specialism where the environment sets the engineering envelope as much as the load does. Composites halls demand low particulate shedding from any equipment positioned above the work; tooling cells demand precise geometry to work around fixtures without disturbing the part; NDT stations demand operator-positioned handling that can be repeatable to millimetres.

Where Somers equipment is specified

Somers Handling has supplied handling equipment into UK aerospace composites manufacturing, including branched monorail systems integrating with automated line control at tooling-intensive stations. Typical project shapes include:

• Under-slung branched monorails with motorised switches, engineered for a specific station-to-station workflow and integrated into the customer’s PLC-based line control.
• Low-particulate-finished handling structures validated at commissioning against the customer’s environmental audit requirements — paint systems, fastener choices and structural profiles all specified to avoid contamination shedding.
• Bespoke balanced lifters matched to tooling-cell geometry — where catalogue hoists and generic spreader beams can’t accommodate the part-handling constraints.
• Workshop-support jib cranes and monorails for NDT, machining-cell loading and assembly-jig support.

Engineering priorities

• Environmental compliance over performance headroom. Aerospace environments are tightly audited. Equipment that works perfectly on mechanical merits but sheds particulate or migrates lubricant doesn’t survive the first audit.
• Line-control integration. Transfers between stations are often process-sequenced, not operator-initiated. Our handling equipment wires into the customer’s PLC so transfers happen on process signals with manual override available.
• Geometric precision. Tooling cells tolerate very little misalignment during transfer. Lifter geometry, hook positioning and crab travel have to be correct on the first install.
• Documentation discipline. Aerospace customers expect full traceability on material, welds and assembly — often beyond the baseline BS EN 13155 requirements.

Complementary services

Aerospace customers typically engage us from the design consultancy stage onwards — concept design and feasibility studies for yet-to-be-built composites or tooling lines, then detail design, manufacture and commissioning through to in-service support.