Evidencing quality

Reliance has supplied bespoke components, manufactured to customer specifications, which are now in orbit in satellite mechanisms or part of current build programmes. These include gears and other complex components with demanding manufacturing tolerances and features. Delivering these projects successfully has enabled Reliance to evidence that the company has the necessary Product Assurance procedures to supply high-quality parts, to drawing and defect-free.

Developing new products

Reliance has made a successful transition from terrestrial aerospace to space in our approach to new product development. We have undertaken a number of customer specific concept designs, taking two motor gearbox projects through detailed development, manufacture, assembly, test and into qualification for use in space mechanisms. These products have been designed by Reliance and are manufactured in the UK, providing proven building blocks for future customers.

Satellite Gears

Reliance supplies bespoke gears and complex components for use in space mechanisms such as solar array drive mechanisms and antenna pointing mechanisms. Our gears have flight heritage in a range of satellites currently in orbit.

Bespoke gears for scientific satellite mechanisms

Reliance was part of the supply chain for the successful 2014 Rosetta science mission to investigate Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Specialist gears were manufactured to a Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace design, for use within their Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM). The SADM was built into the satellite platform, supplied by Airbus Defence & Space Limited, which was launched in 2004 under the European Space Agency’s Rosetta programme. This custom-built gear is an example of complex machining, where a significant proportion of material had to be removed to reduce the weight of the gear, whilst still maintaining the necessary accuracy to ensure the gear’s performance

Collaborative engineering

Reliance has worked as a collaborative technical partner on a range of programmes to support designers responsible for both new and mature products. We provide a complementary design capability, offering access to specialist facilities and technical expertise, or additional capacity during resource intensive projects. The scope and depth of design support is tailored to suit each customer’s in-house expertise and resource levels, managed flexibly in line with their design, manufacturing and organisational practices. We have a professional multi-disciplined engineering team with hands-on product implementation experience, capable of undertaking: • Design from specification • Concept development and prototyping • Collaborative design review • Through-life engineering support

Skills and capabilities

We cover a broad range of disciplines, including mechanical, electronic and control engineering, with a core design expertise in complex geared components and high performance geared assemblies. Co-location with our production facility helps secure effective design implementation, whilst unique test and validation capabilities provide customers with confidence in the quality and performance of their equipment, securing effective market launch and reducing through-life costs. We offer practical experience in bringing product designs into production, with design engineers working alongside production engineers and operations teams at Reliance’s UK manufacturing facility.

Metrology, test and design verification

Providing essential data to our customers to validate the functional performance of their design, including: • Custom designed test equipment and software • Specialist gear and gearbox test rigs • Temperature, humidity and vibration testing • Metrology data at component and assembly level Design verification as a standalone investigative project or as part of a design engineering project, ensuring critical time-to-market deadlines are secured by: • Design analysis by calculation/modelling • Performance validation of critical design elements • Assessment of alternative design solutions • Functional testing of the final assembly

Continuous improvement

We are engaged in business process improvement activities and invest £2 million annually to ensure that we keep our precision machining and metrology capabilities at the forefront of the manufacturing industry. Reliance supplies concession-free components and fully tested assemblies for use directly into final production, helping our customers reduce supply chain management costs. We provide a single point of contact for the supply of critical sub-systems, combining our own manufactured and bought-in parts, together with our customers’ preferred suppliers. By working collaboratively we have demonstrated that we are able to respond effectively to our customers’ plans for growth and support their supply chain strategies effectively.

Ensuring production yield

Contamination control is vital to production yield. It is essential to provide the most appropriate assembly environment for projects with different cleaning procedures and different sensitivities to contaminants. Reliance has a suite of cleanrooms, each established to support particular needs of customer projects from a range of markets, including scientific instruments and aerospace and defence. To prevent cross-contamination and ensure the necessary disciplines and procedures are adhered to, a separate clean area for space has been introduced.

Component manufacturing and clean assembly

High accuracy manufacturing facility with embedded through-process quality control to ensure full compliance to specification: • High precision manufacture of critical components • World-class, NPL accredited, metrology capability • Tailored cleaning processes to customer specification • Bespoke packaging and supply options Assembly of high performance sub-systems where the avoidance of contamination is critical to achieving demanding accuracies: • ISO 7/Class 10,000 clean area – space procedures • ISO 7/Class 10,000 cleanroom – optics handling • ISO 6/Class 1,000 cleanroom – oil and grease-free • ISO 4/Class 10 flexible laminar flow cabinets

New product introduction

Experienced engineering team responsible for the smooth transition from design to manufacture: • Close customer liaison and project management • Highly disciplined build standard control • Production engineering “design-for-manufacture” • Development of manufacturing methods and tooling

Trust and experience

With over 60 years’ experience in serving the aerospace and defence sectors Reliance is able to demonstrate consistent achievement of the stringent performance criteria required by these industries. This is further strengthened by successful audits and product supply to space primes and recognition from ESA. We have built longstanding relationships with major OEMs, systems integrators and prime contractors.

Disciplined and adaptable

We ensure a consistent approach based on established operational disciplines and methods, and thorough build standard control. This allows us to manage effectively a combination of in-house designed and manufactured elements and externally sourced components, including those from both our own and our customers’ supply chains. Our size and independence means that we can adapt to the needs of our customers’ organisations and adopt their operational procedures alongside our own systems. A strong project management approach, drawing upon operational experience and close customer collaboration, ensures that major new projects are introduced into production with confidence, helping to reduce time to market for new products.

Quality assured

As a BS EN ISO 9001 and AS9100 approved company, Reliance is committed to providing high standards in product and service delivery. We adhere to the stringent quality and product assurance requirements set out by our space customers, with tightly controlled operational processes and IT systems in place to evidence all activities throughout production. We welcome all new customers to visit our facility in Huddersfield and witness our systems and procedures.

Quality control

Effective application of metrology and test is a core part of our company philosophy. Inspection and measurement disciplines are embedded throughout the component manufacturing process in order to prove parts are manufactured correctly to specification. Investment in test engineering has resulted in unique facilities for functional testing of assemblies, with the capability to custom-design test equipment and processes for different applications and performance criteria.

Creativity and problem solving

Reliance is committed to developing knowledge and understanding and has a strong appetite for problem solving. By understanding the issues facing our customers – technically, operationally and commercially – we are able to provide creative technical solutions. Our creativity is grounded firmly by our core company principle which demands that we can prove that our design and manufacturing solutions meet the customers’ specifications and performance criteria.

You can download a copy of our Space brochure here. If you would like to discuss a potential project with the team, or find out more about our work in space, please contact us. To request a hard copy of the brochure, please email your name and address to sales@reliance.co.uk with the subject line ‘Space Brochure’.