Derco Aerospace to distribute Universal Synaptics’ intermittent fault detection systems

Posted by Courtney E. Howard

MILWAUKEE, 30 Aug. 2010. Derco Aerospace Inc., a Sikorsky Aerospace Services Company, has signed a distribution agreement with Universal Synaptics Corp. to distribute its line of Intermittent Fault Detection (IFD) products. The company’s IFD tools identify intermittent faults in aircraft electrical components. Sikorsky Aerospace Services is the worldwide aftermarket business of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Derco will offer worldwide distribution of Universal Synaptics' IFD systems and provide related repair services—and do so at a fraction of replacement cost for faulty aircraft electrical components, says a company spokesperson. Traditionally, aircraft maintainers have scrapped electrical components where the source of intermittent/No Fault Found (NFF) faults could not be identified.

Initially available for the F-16 Modular Low Power Radio Frequency (MLPRF) and Low Power Radio Frequency (LPRF) Radar boxes, IFD systems have the capacity to test for intermittence in most electrical components in the aircraft. This distribution agreement will offer Derco customers a savings in both time and money.

"Universal Synaptics' Intermittent Fault Detection products are transforming how maintainers address intermittent/NFF faults," says Paul Fuhrmann, Derco's director of OEM solutions. "The IFD systems provide a solution for Derco, or its customers, to easily identify and isolate electrical intermittent faults. Components can then be repaired and expedited back into reliable service."