Hoisting fittings : what is their purpose ?

They can be found on the the fuselage, nose section or wings: these fittings are essential in the process of aircraft manufacturing. There are on average around fifty per aircraft. Temporarily attached to the structure, this piece of equipment is used to enable the completion of several tasks, as explained by the owner of this company, specializing since 2003, in the design and manufacture of these fittings and which counts Airbus and Embraer as customers amongst its clients.

Patrice Limont - ISI-MP Director

"They serve not only to position the sections at the assembly points, but also to perform all handling, and maintainence operations, as well in the transportation of the pieces from one place to another."

Weighting between 8 and 800 kilos ( 18 and over 1,700 pounds ), each fitting is specific to an aircraft type, the position it will occupy, and role it will play. being extremely strong, those which are mounted on the central section of the A-380 for example, can support up to 16 tonnes each !

Patrice Limont - ISI-MP Director

"On the piece you see here, we have specific types of screws that are attached so as not to be lost in all the comings and goings, between one plant and another, and it's here that we fix the fitting or bracket. On this one here, we can see, quite clearly, that the whole surface has been machined to comply exactly with the profile of the plane. After that, in terms of handling, we have this pin that allows us to lift the individual element of the aircraft, and then, when we arrive at the assembly stations, the hoisting point is in fact a hemi-spherical male part which connects with a female part. The hoisting points, of which there are four, allow us to pivot and align the aircraft elements with respect to each other."

Once their tasks have been completed, these fittings go back to their original position and are "returned to the circuit". A fitting, therefore,  can be used repeatedly during its service-life of about 20 years. So finally, according to their production rate, air-framers only need to invest in a certain number of "sets of fittings". Price ? Count on between 5,000 and 6,000 € each, all the same.