Estes Design and Manufacturing earns AS9100D certification

Indianapolis, Indiana-based Estes Design and Manufacturing Inc. has received its AS9100D certification for its quality management system governing the design, manufacture, and assembly of fabricated sheet metal products.

The certification validates Estes’ compliance with quality management standards specifically for the aviation, space, and defense industries developed by the International Aerospace Quality Group and emphasizes controls to ensure the quality and safety of mission critical aerospace products, components and services. 

This most recent certification paves the way for Estes to further serve customers in the aerospace and defense sectors with advanced sheet metal design and production work.

“Estes’ commitments to quality, state-of-the-art technology and continuous improvement are central to everything we do,” said company President Tim Estes. “In addition to broadening the scope of our capabilities, we have also expanded to serve additional markets and clients with our Lean Manufacturing and Estes Accelerator Product Development and Prototyping.”

Additionally, Estes recently added CNC machining with the acquisition of an Okuma 30hp, 15,000rpm Genos M560-V vertical machining center that can process a variety of materials from titanium to aluminum. This 5-axis machine provides accuracies of 0.00055" in the X-axis, 0.00047" in Y-axix and 0.00039" in Z-axis, making it well suited for the tight -tolerance precision needed for the aerospace and defense sectors. Though the machine is not included in the most recent AS9100D certification scope due to the timing of its acquisition, it’s anticipated it will be included in the certification by July 2025.

CNC machining capabilities further enhance Estes’ menu of services in the manufacturing industry. Its recent commissioning of a robotic laser welding unit that pairs an IPG Photonics’ LightWELD laser welder with a FANUC CRX-25iA Collaborative Robot (cobot) gives Estes fast, repeatable, and precise robotic welding capabilities.

The FANUC CRX-25iA cobot takes LightWELD precision to a new level. With a repeatability of ± 0.002", the 6-axis cobot provides consistent quality that is essential for precision welds.

Estes specializes in light-gauge sheet metal fabrication for carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Part processing capabilities range from plate materials up to1/4” thick to bar and tube stock. The company will also fabricate other material types and alloys per customer request.

 Estes Design and Manufacturing is a full-service ISO-9001:2015- and AS9100D-certified sheet metal fabricator. The company offers a combination of product design, engineering, rapid prototyping and manufacturing services using advanced technologies, including 3D laser welding. From conceptual design to full production, its staff of engineers, CAD designers and manufacturing professionals collaborate to create an environment for rapid response manufacturing across a broad range of product and industry applications from medical equipment, appliance and HVAC, to office furniture manufacturing, aerospace and more.