Astronics PECO
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| Subsidiary | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Aerospace and Industrial |
| Predecessors |
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| Founded 📆 | 1938 |
| Founder 👔 | Ralph ‘Mac’ McGilvra |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , , |
Area served 🗺️ | |
| Products 📟 |
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| Services | |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| Parent | Astronics Corporation |
| 🌐 Website | [1] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
PECO Astronics is a concurrent engineering and manufacturing company focused on the Aerospace and Defense industry. In concert with major OEMs, it develops and produces hardware for aircraft interiors, missiles, and energy applications. It is the largest producer of overhead Passenger Service Units (PSUs) for Boeing Commercial Aircraft in the world.
PECO is a subsidiary of Astronics Corporation, an American aerospace electronics company headquartered in East Aurora, New York, focused on aircraft lighting and electronics applications, primarily for aircraft and semiconductor test systems.[1]
History[edit]
Ralph ‘Mac’ McGilvra founded what would become “Product Engineering Company” in 1932 while working for Iron Fireman.[2] A pioneer in casting technology, McGilvra worked with Norman Williams to develop a die casting process for automotive brake components. His efforts blossomed into a partnership with Williams, then a stand-alone company in 1939.[3]
Through Product Engineering, McGilvra introduced the Cold-chamber die casting process, allowing for more detailed and stable metal forming of high-temperature alloys such as aluminum and zinc. This development set Product Engineering apart from its Northwest casting competitors, who employed hot-chamber processes exclusively. Product Engineering also showcased the first completely automatic die casting machine west of the Mississippi, designed and built by McGilvra. Many other innovative casting processes, including cammed core pulls, hot chamber cylinder liners, and sleeve ejectors, were developed for Product Engineering castings by McGilvra and later became industry standards.[4]
Product Engineering shifted its focus to Aerospace and Defense when the United States entered World War II, manufacturing fuse shell parts for Army Ordnance, aircraft electrical fittings, and various components for the Maritime Commission. Afterwards, it focused on product development, working with inventors to concurrently engineer a variety of merchandise. While continuing with their aerospace and defense portfolio, their product line then also included cap guns, USPS delivery carts, lawn sprinklers, fire extinguishers, thermostatic controls, and golf carts.[5] On August 6, 1950 a fire destroyed the original Product Engineering Company building, requiring McGilvra to conduct operations from five smaller sites around Portland until a new foundry was constructed. According to local legend, McGilvra had operations back up in running “under a tin roof” less than ten days after the fire broke out and before he was able to secure the more permanent five locations.[6]
Following the death of Ralph McGilvra in 1962, Northwest Industries Inc. (NWI), a paper company based in Albany, Oregon purchased Product Engineering Company and changed the company name to PECO. Under NWI’s direction, PECO began offering plastic-[injection moulding]] in in addition to metal Die casting, expanding quickly into the burgeoning commercial aircraft interiors market. PECO would later acquire full design responsibility for the Boeing 737 PSU, making it a critical interior supplier for Boeing Commercial Aircraft. In 1966, PECO merged with the North Albany Land Company, the Delta Land and Investment Company and the Delta Improvement Corporation to form the Northwest Intermountain Development Company (NWIDC). PECO was then jointly purchased in 1967 by Clyde Rushing, the Vice President of Finance for NWIDC, with Dean Schamp, A.W. Michaelis, and Ed Halberg.[7]
In 1970, PECO acquired Sunne Controls, a small Portland-based firm focused on Temperature Controls for commercial cooking, agricultural and HVAC markets. Sunne later became PECO Controls, maintaining its well-known brand after the 2013 Astronics acquisition. PECO, however, was rebranded as Astronics PECO and relocated to Clackamas, Oregon.[8]
Astronics Max-Viz, a company that designs, manufactures and certifies Enhanced Vision Systems ("EVS") primarily for use in the aerospace industry, became part of PECO on January 1st 2020. Max-Viz had existed previously as a business unit of Astronics since July 31, 2012, and also maintained its brand after both this acquisition and its merger with Astronics PECO.[9]
Key Products[edit]
Passenger Service Units (PSU): PECO began producing PSUs for Boeing 707 aircraft in 1968, shortly after adopting the plastic injection molding process. it’s development and manufacture has since expanded to include overhead lighting, Gaspers, electrical and digital displays, and emergency oxygen systems on multiple commercial aircraft. In 2008 Astronics was awarded full design responsibility for the 737 Boeing Sky Interior (BSI) PSU.[10]
Fuel Tank Access Doors (FTAD): Forty Fuel Access Doors are employed on the wings of every Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 777X. These consist of resin bonded A380 aluminum panels with a honeycomb composite structure to prevent fuel ignition, either from lightning or from an external collision. PECO is soul supplier of Fuel Tanks Access Doors to the 787 and 777x programs.[11]
Diffusers for Environmental Control Systems (ECS): ECS diffusers serve as the interface between the plane’s HVAC system and the passenger environment. Harnessing air from the central air supply, the environmental control system produces laminar airflow and uniformly distributes air throughout the cabin. The Boeing 737 program currently uses PECO Diffusers as part of its interior hardware.[12]
Enhanced Vision Systems: Max-Viz, a business unit of Astronics PECO, offers the world’s most widely deployed enhanced vision systems for airframe OEMs and general aviation pilots. These systems use infrared sensors, signal processing, and advanced cockpit displays to show terrain, runways, taxiways, and obstacles in poor visibility conditions such as fog, smoke, precipitation, and darkness.[13]
Thermostats and Controls: PECO Control Systems, a business unit of Astronics PECO, designs and manufactures thermostats and controls for the commercial cooking, agricultural, industrial, and HVAC industries.[14]
Capabilities[edit]
Product Development/Designing for Manufacturability: Drawing from its historical roots in concurrent engineering, PECO specializes in refining and redesigning assemblies, especially those containing subcomponents from multiple manufacturing processes and various materials. Many of these assemblies include metal, plastic, and composite structures.
Die Casting: PECO continues to produce Die Castings in a variety of aluminum and zinc alloys up to 20lb. In keeping with the company’s vertical integration push, most cast products are subcomponents of larger structures that are designed or co-designed by PECO.
Composite Injection Molding: PECO currently employs multiple injection molding presses from 40 Tons to 1,000 Tons to produce tight-tolerance moldings at high volumes. Like the die casting process, nearly all injection molded parts serve as subcomponents for larger assemblies produced by PECO. The company also works with metal matrix composites and structures that require metal and composite material feasibility.
Plastic Injection Molding: For plastic applications, PECO uses Injection Molding Presses from 40 Tons to 950 Tons to create tight-tolerance moldings in a wide variety of resins (Glass and carbon filled resins, ABS, Acrylic, Polyethylene, etc.).[15] Parts made in plastic also figure mostly into assemblies and range from 2oz to over 70oz.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Astronics Corporation Completes Acquisition of PECO Inc. and Amends Senior Credit Facilities". Astronics Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "The Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company". The Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Product Engineering Company". sturdibilt-toys.com.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Ralph McGilvra". sturdibilt-toys.com.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Product Engineering Company". sturdibilt-toys.com.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Product Engineering Company". sturdibilt-toys.com.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Product Engineering Company". sturdibilt-toys.com.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ Peco. Heavy Duty https://heavydutydepot.com/catalog/brand:peco. Retrieved 12 January 2022. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Astronics Corporation Acquires Enhanced Vision Systems Provider Max-Viz, Inc". www.businesswire.com. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Passenger Service Units". www.astronics.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Fuel Doors". www.astronics.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "ECS Diffusers". www.astronics.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Enhanced Vision Systems | Astronics". www.astronics.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "PECO Control Systems". www.pecocontrolsystems.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Plastic Injection Molding". www.astronics.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
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