The aerospace sector contributes to a significant portion of the earth’s pollution. Analysts approximate that aviation is accountable for at least 2-3% of the earth’s anthropogenic CO2 emissions and just under 5% of radiative forcing. Many corporations and governments are taking action to reduce the aerospace industry’s environmental impact by implementing new regulations, cultivating new goals, and promoting sustainable efforts throughout the industry. As manufacturers continue to innovate new methods to encourage energy-efficient advancements, GP Reeves stands ready to support the critical precision dispensing the industry needs. Let’s go over some of the market’s main focuses and our plan to support the interests of this cutting-edge industry.

Greener Goals

As many countries and corporations pursue goals to reach carbon-neutrality, pressure is increasing on industries, like that of aerospace, to strive for equivalent aspirations. This aim is particularly challenging for aerospace manufacturers due to the scale of projects, the plethora of regulatory standards, and the simple nature of an aircraft. Furthermore, due to the physical thrust required, traditional jet fuel has been the most effective and efficient way to power planes through the air. Unfortunately, jet fuel emits ginormous amounts of anthropogenic emissions.

From a recent Deloitte report, we know that commercial aviation has been a consistent source for approximately 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, and that during the five-year period from 2013 to 2018, there was a 32% increase in the emissions coming from commercial aircraft.

This is an obvious level of concern among industry participants. Numerous governments and major corporations have established targets to achieve complete carbon-neutrality or reduced emissions by the year 2050. While this effort is important and well-founded, the technical feasibility and financial viability of solutions provide difficulties for aerospace market players. In addition, manufacturers must be aware of the production sizes, infrastructural challenges, and regulatory difficulties that must be considered when implementing solutions.

Environmentally conscious manufacturing within the aerospace industry involves minimizing negative ecological repercussions while simultaneously conserving as much natural resource and energy usage as possible. Some sustainable practices that have been identified for the industry include adapting product designs, implementing new propulsion technologies, modernizing air traffic management, the integration of additive manufacturing into aerospace supply chains, the use of sustainable aviation fuels, and the reconfiguring of shipping and  distribution routes.


How We Can Help
  • Many manufacturers within the aerospace marketplace are aspiring towards carbon-neutrality by creating more aerodynamic designs and reconfiguring aircraft interiors to increase fuel efficiency and further reduce emissions. GP Reeves can support these progressive innovations with our customizable dispensing equipment. So, manufacturers will be able to continually receive accurate bonding, sealing, and lubricating deliveries even to unique part components reducing defective parts.
  • By using additive manufacturing, aerospace manufacturers can decrease fuel usage through a lighter plane mass. GP Reeves can assist in this process with our sealing and bonding equipment and create even less waste with our ultimate precision machinery. This process overall would improve fuel efficiencies and utilize fewer raw materials.
  • GP Reeves has accumulated a wealth of expertise in dispensing complex materials. By using different materials in their applications, such as biodegradable or toxin-free substances, manufacturers can enhance their products’ sustainability. GP Reeves can successfully dispense a wide array of materials and would be enthused to configure a system to support the industry’s environmentally-conscious efforts.

Progressive Propulsion:

New propulsion technologies are emerging as promising innovations to enhance the sustainable efforts of the aerospace industry. In addition to the redesign of traditional propulsion devices and the gas dynamics of internal flows, thermodynamics, and combustion processes, totally new methods of air propulsion are being investigated.

Innovators have emphasized the potential that batteries have for the aerospace industry and have applied knowledge from the world of automotive EVs to aircraft designs. Furthermore, it has been discovered that energy storage systems provide a reliable source of power for electric motors, which are able to then generate airplane thrust in an energy-efficient manner.

Electrification within the aviation landscape is rapidly evolving and can be seen as a legitimate solution to the industry’s heavy production of harmful emissions. Unfortunately, the actual adoption of electrified planes by aircraft fleets is likely to be a gradual and uphill battle. Batteries are substantially heavier, and with the same weight, jet fuel engines can provide about 14x more usable energy. Therefore, electrified flights might only be feasible for smaller planes until battery energy densities can be improved.

An additional advancement within the aircraft propulsion realm is that of hydrogen. There are two manners in which hydrogen can successfully assist in sustainable propulsion. First, it can be used within fuel cells to react and provide electricity to an electric plane motor. Secondly, it can be combusted in jet engines with a bit of modification and then provide thrust to the aircraft.

This renewable source of energy could significantly reduce carbon emissions, but due to its weight, cost, and storage requirements could be challenging to fully adopt as a corporate-level solution. To accomplish this, reconfigurations would have to occur to aircraft design, fuel storage components, and fuel distribution systems.

How We Can Help
  • GP Reeves has developed sophisticated expertise surrounding the realm of battery manufacturing, and could provide customized, advanced dispensing equipment to assist in the filling, bonding, and sealing of airplane battery components. We are also pros at integrating energy storage components into the arrangement of manufactured parts, so we’d be able to assist in the implementation of a battery power source.
  • Our team’s significant knowledge with fuel distribution systems would allow us to propel hydrogen adoption throughout the aerospace sphere. We have a multitude of standard products that could be configured and customized to meet the needs of this evolving technology.
  • To encourage the successful design of aviation equipment, GP Reeves could utilize its masterful expertise with a wide array of materials to properly support even the most unique of aerospace applications. We are equipped with a superior knowledge of aircraft components and their unique requirements. Therefore, we can customize and configure machinery to ensure it encourages promising reliability from your aircraft for the long haul.

Sustainable Infrastructure

Airports and the equipment that supports them can emit substantial amounts of harmful emissions. Steps are being taken by government officials and private organizations to promote the minimization of environmentally harmful emissions and waste throughout areas of airport operations.

On the consumer end of things, many airports are introducing environmental strategies that elevate the sustainability of the overall travel experience. For example, some corporations have limited the amount of single-use plastics provided to customers in-flight and before take-off. Items such as cups, spoons, salt and pepper shakers, packaging for flight bedding, dishes, and pop bottles were switched with bamboo-made products or compostable alternatives. This is one of the many steps that is limiting the excessive amount of waste produced by participants of the industry and contributing to a cleaner planet.

Efforts are also being made by operators of ground equipment, who are aiming to create more environmentally-friendly fleets. There exists large potential for cleaner strategies amidst the vehicles and machinery used to support flight travel with electric vehicles or hybrid options. By transitioning supportive fleets to greener power sources, grounds equipment and machinery can significantly reduce the amount of anthropogenic emissions created by airport infrastructure overall.

A last major step being made by airports globally is the transition to renewable energy sources. Most airports are located in wide-open areas that receive plenty of light, making them a great option for solar-panel positioning. By running on solar power rather than non-renewable energy, the lights, tower operations, and traveler impact of airports can be reduced substantially.

How We Can Help
  • GP Reeves has been manufacturing efficient dispensing machinery for decades. By utilizing our wealth of material delivery expertise, we can properly distribute biodegradable materials to assist in the production of compostable goods.
  • Because our machinery is so precise, manufacturers won’t have to worry about the potential of large amounts of waste. Our machines are built to ensure excess material doesn’t build up around nozzles and will deposit only exact amounts of required material onto a specific application.
  • With our wealth of knowledge in automotive and heavy machinery components, we can effectively dispense material onto components that will contribute to electrified or environmentally friendly grounds equipment. We’ve created systems that successfully and reliably bond, seal, and fill batteries and we’re extremely enthused about the potential they provide ground equipment. We have an entire page dedicated to our battery developments.
  • With our passion for renewable energy, GP Reeves can support the industry’s transition towards more renewable power. We are able to dispense material for use of solar power, wind power, and hydropower. Our team has created an entire page dedicated to our expertise in the renewable energy field.

Flying into the Future

As the aerospace industry continues to emphasize sustainable efforts, the manufacturing realm will continue to accommodate and advance. There are many ways the industry can encourage sustainable efforts besides enhancing decarbonization goals, transitioning to new propulsion methods, and elevating the operations of airport infrastructures, and GP Reeves is excited about this endeavor’s continued potential. As the aerospace industry continues to go green, GP Reeves will continue to support its missions with our state-of-the-art dispensing machinery.

Think your aerospace application could benefit from extreme precision and reliable durability?

You need GP Reeves. Get in touch with us today to see how the sky’s the limit for your project’s potential.

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