Atec, Inc. | Aerospace Engineering Company

Engine Test Cell Challenges 2012 and Beyond

cbennitt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:06:52 +0000

Engine Test Cells have been around for the aviation industry since the dawn of the industry. The Wright Brothers performed extensive testing on their small piston engine to verify performance with their belt driven propeller system. As mechanics, they understood not only that a motor is only as good as the parts and the people who put those parts together, but that a motor must be tested as a working system prior to installation. Why is that, you ask? Because...

Production and Overhaul Test Cells outnumber R&D facilities by a large margin

cbennitt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:06:13 +0000

In the old days, your test cell had an engine mount, a few gauges, a few hoses and cables, a start system, a fuel system and a pad of paper, and you were ready to fire up. However, since the inception of powered flight, engine power and complexity have increased at an exponential rate, especially with the advent of the jet engine in the years after WWII, and then again with the introduction of digital controls. Enter the economy. The...

MROs must be both Technically and Business Savvy

cbennitt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:05:56 +0000

Test Cells still have the same mission as they did with the Wright Brothers: verifying engine performance prior to flight. How that mission gets accomplished however is very different today. The hand-loaded engine mount and cables/hoses have been replaced by automated coupling systems that join fuel and electrical connections. The engine adapter connections are intertwined with the Test Cell Control system through PLCs to maximize safety. The open area around the engine test system has been surrounded by complex acoustic...

2011 Rocket Launches

cbennitt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:06:00 +0000

January 20, 2011 – Vandenberg Air Force Base – NROL 49 Atec’s 2011 launch schedule began with the maiden voyage of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket from California, the largest booster ever flown from the West Coast. The RL-10 engine upper stage deployed a crucial and clandestine replacement satellite into a polar orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office’s sophisticated constellation. The Latin words “melior diabolus quem scies” are inscribed on the mission patch. This roughly translates to mean “the devil you...

Record Year for Energy Services

cbennitt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:02:37 +0000

2011 was a record year for our Energy Services group. For that, our thanks go out to our loyal clients. This past year demand in the field rose, and Atec jumped to the challenge by expediting orders so our customers could better serve their clients. Our continued team work with our customers in resolving obsolescence issues kept the orders flowing. Our hard work paid off, leading Atec to design and manufacture multiple cables for a new product released worldwide by...

2011 Recap in the Community

uvierna — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:11:22 +0000

In June 2011, Atec sponsored a clothing drive for Second Mile Mission Center, a charity local to the Stafford/Sugar Land area. More than 40 Atec employees contributed over 300 items of clothing, many of them items for children, for donation to the area’s less fortunate to make the drive a success. The clothing drive, coordinated by Atec HR Manager Meghan Major, was a close to home, close to the heart effort that is sure to become an annual tradition. Atec’s Chairman...

Welcome to Machining and Measures:

uvierna — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:14:03 +0000

My name is Mark Cummings. I am the Machine Shop Manager here at Atec Inc. I have been employed in the machining industry since 1977. Many things have changed since the 70s, but here in our shop, ownership in a job well done has never gone out of style. To achieve the highest quality, a shop must have three things. You must not only have the right machine for the task and the means to verify the result, but you...

Atec, Inc., featured in the Houston Chronicle, Feb. 18, 2011

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:32:16 +0000

We are proud to announce that Sandra Bretting of the Houston Chronicle Business Section wrote an article on Atec on Sunday, February 18, 2011. The article features an interview with CEO Howard Lederer, in which he shares Atec’s history and accomplishments spanning the nearly 60 years that Atec has been in business. Click here to view the article.

Atec helps sponsor Boy Scouts Record-Breaking Rocket Launch

uvierna — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:22:45 +0000

Atec was a corporate sponsor for the world record-breaking rocket launch at the Boy Scout SHAC Jam on October 9th, 2010. The successful launch of 3,130 rockets built by the scouts beat the previous record of 965, set in 2007, by a scout troop from Austin, Texas. Boy Scouts from all over the Sam Houston Area Council gathered at the Texas World Speedway near Bryan-College Station, Texas, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Atec builds...