At 5.07pm on 5th Jan’24, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took-off as normal from Portland (Oregon) airport to Ontario (California) with 171 passengers and 6 crew on board. However within minutes of leaving, a cabin door on a Boeing 737 Max blew off from the plane, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
Fortunately no one was killed, but the incident once again highlighted the enormous dangers faced by the aerospace industry from faulty parts. On this occasion it appears 4 bolts weren’t missing on an emergency exit ‘door plug’.
This is where specialist engineer #Avingtrans’ Adaptix division can help.
Today its patented light-weight, small-form & affordable 3D X-ray system was named the most “exciting emerging technology at the UK’s Aerospace Technology and Innovation awards”. Reflecting its unique imaging capability that can rapidly inspect (re Non-Destructive Testing, NDT) traditional, additive &/or composite materials (including dry form) with a high degree of accuracy.
Professor Phil Webb adding: “The Adaptix Ltd 3D NDT technology delivers comparable results to CT, X-ray and Ultrasonic testing, with several key benefits including significantly quicker scan times, reduced X-ray power & exclusion zones. Meaning imaging equipment can be brought directly to an aerospace structure with minimum disruption to busy hangars.”
Granted its still early days, yet ultimately this equipment could revolutionise aerospace manufacturing in terms of being easier to deploy, lowering costs, reducing waste and improving overall safety (re detecting more faulty parts). However this is just the tip. You see Adaptix Ltd's other substantial market opportunities in healthcare and veterinary are even more exciting. Here these 3D X-ray devices are ideal for scanning arms, ankles wrists, joints & soft tissues in community healthcare facilities, as well as for pets, horses & farm/zoo animals. Moreover freeing up vital hospital resource & helping to reduce the UK’s 7m+ patient waiting list.
Chief Scientist Professor Bryn Hughes commenting: “Adaptix has shown that its technology can inspect smaller aerospace parts to the level of fidelity that is of relevance to industry. It has now successfully scaled-up this capability to image large aerospace parts - such as wing parts, doors and skins - while maintaining the required resolution. This is a hugely exciting development and has the potential for a real game change in NDT.” Lastly SInger Capital Markets have a 525p/share target price based on FY25 forecasts of £161m turnover, £15m EBITDA & 14.3p EPS – underpinned by a strong pipeline, excellent forward visibility & 90% revenue cover for this year (45% FY26).
Disclosure: Avingtrans is a Vox Markets client