Airborne International

ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is an array of short-wavelength radio telescopes whose combined power will enable astronomers to observe the cool Universe – the molecular gas and dust that constitute the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies, and of life itself. It will operate at wavelengths of 0.3 to 9.6 mm. At these wavelengths, a high, dry site is needed for the telescope to be able to see through the Earth’s atmosphere. This is why ALMA is being built on the 5000 m high plateau of Chajnantor in the Atacama region of Chile. The 12-meter antennas will have reconfigurable baselines ranging from 15 m to 16 km. Resolutions as fine as 0.005 arcseconds will be achieved at the shortest wavelengths – a factor of ten better than the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory is being assembled by a global partnership between East Asia, Europe and North America in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.

The Airborne Group specialises in the development and production of advanced composite products and systems. Airborne Composites is one of the largest and fastest growing companies in composites in The Netherlands.

Requirements

• High accuracy tooling for the development of petals that make up the satellite system
• Support for production of high volume parts
• Excellent surface finish for improved accuracy
  
• Strong technical support
  

Amber Solution

• Recommended HX50 tooling prepreg, which has a low temperature cure for high accuracy
  
• Pre-cut the tooling prepreg into squares for ease of handling and speed of manufacture
• Fast turnaround to accomodate accelerated schedule
  
• Provided technical support and guidance