High performance air conditioning system keeps aerostructures company operational

A client specialising in the manufacturing of aerostructures approached Andrews following an air conditioning malfunction at their base in Southampton. Our customer is a leading supplier of civil and military airframes, fuselages, wings and other hi-tech composites.

With an exemplary track record in the industry, the company in question is known for adhering to the highest professional standards at all times – leaving them with no option but to seek an alternative cooling arrangement in the absence of their original system.

Failure to maintain a closely controlled temperature inside the main paint workshop would have severe implications for the finished product. Our client’s air conditioning failure coincided with seasonal conditions being extremely warm, which was not conducive to allowing paint to be cured with strict aerospace regulations in mind.

There were two separate parts of the application requiring our attention: the paint workshop and a neighbouring storeroom. The workshop was more than 4,000m³ in size, prompting us to install a single HPAC 90 air conditioner and two lengths of 32m ducting to help deliver cooled ambient air inside.

Excessive temperatures inside the storeroom would have left military spec paint exposed to an environment that went beyond a clearly defined threshold. For this area, we installed a smaller HPAC 30 unit, which was extremely effective in maintaining a lower temperature while the customer’s original system was repaired.