The numbers are impressive: In its 25 years as a repair station, Aerospace Welding Minneapolis, Inc. (AWI) has earned more than 450 PMAs and manufactured and sold more than 72,000 PMA parts for certified aircraft.
As one of the world’s largest repair stations, occupying a 37,000-square-foot facility, AWI can repair or replace the exhaust systems or engine mounts for almost every model of general aviation aircraft. The company has already repaired more than 8,000 engine mounts.
AWI’s list of PMAs covers everything from GA aircraft exhaust system replacements to engine mounts, carb heat boxes to mufflers.
What led to all of this activity was an aggressive program to develop a wide range of capabilities utilizing the newest technologies in the market, according to company officials.
For example, most of the company’s work with prototyping involves 3D printing. Consequently, it can tackle engineering, research, and prototype development, finishing and coating, tooling and fixtures, tube bending, machining and sheet metal fabrication.
The company has created and manufactured components for a wide variety of OEMs, including Boeing, Piper, Cessna, Beechcraft, Cirrus, Grumman, Rockwell and a number of foreign manufacturers.
“Resolving challenges has been an incentive and an inspiration to our response process,” said AWI CEO Tom Heid. “The search never ends for greater efficiency and durability. With the new technologies we’ve adopted there’s been a dramatic change from the way we approach prototyping and manufacturing today compared to what we were doing a quarter-century ago. We’ve got 15 new products under development now and we’re always reaching out for more. The next 25 years should be more exciting than the last 25.”
Had two exhaust stacks for my Piper from them. Good quality work. I also liked the bag of cracker jacks someone placed in the shipping crate.