SKM Aeronautics: Flexibility in Production And Problem Solving With The Help Of Elastic Materials And Creative Thinking

The excellence that has become the DNA of the Israeli company, SKM Aeronautics, has been bearing fruit for over seven decades in which SKM Aeronautics participated in significant projects contributing for the security of the state of Israel, including the Merkava Tank and the Namer APC.

In addition, two classified projects of which SKM Aeronautics participated as technology developer and manufacturer, awarded their developers in the defense industries with the prestigious Israel Defense Award.

In the last decade, SKM Aeronautics was selected as an active partner in four applied research programs of the European Union as part of the Horizon 2020 Program. The excellence and quality that are the cornerstones of the company's operational infrastructure herald that the sky is not the limit for it, and impressive successes and achievements are yet to be expected.

A unique standard in the rubber industry
"Many 'square eggs' projects are brought to us, knowing that our creative thinking, innovation, boldness, professionalism, and full commitment to the process, to the success of the product, and to the customer's requirements will serve them faithfully throughout the development process and until the solution is completed and the product transferred to serial production," explains Yuval Erez, CO-CEO and partner at SKM Aeronautics. "We are a ‘Boutique Manufacturer’ in the rubber industry, and in the defense industry we usually produce, in small and medium size series, reliable and precise products from high-performance elastomers including silicones and engineered rubber compounds, according to fully customized technical requirements and customer specifications."

"We support our customers from the beginning of the development stages and the technological feasibility analysis, we provide them with a comprehensive package of support services, in rubber and product engineering, and of course, with a full production package through testing, verification and serial production," notes Ohad Eldar, partner at SKM Aeronautics. "The products are molded or injected from advanced engineered elastomers and are intended for the defense industries in the aviation, space, military and defense, communication, and electro-optics sectors, as well as for the civilian industries in the medical, semiconductor, and process industry domains."

As noted, SKM Aeronautics was established about seven decades ago, during which it consolidated its position as a leader in its field. As part of its vision, it aims to set a unique benchmark in the rubber industry in the areas of quality, manufacturing, innovation, professionalism, service orientation, and reliability says Erez.

"The DNA of SKM Aeronautics, its employees, and its processes is based on quality and excellence, on constant innovation and full identification with customer requirements. It reflects a worldview according to which flexible materials have almost no manufacturing limits and no project is impossible, therefore imagination and the ability to theorize are mobilized together with engineering and production forces for the sake of a comprehensive solution to the problem," explains Erez.

One of the prominent advantages of our company is manifested in the fact that we provide, under one roof, a complete and comprehensive solution for the manufacture of a variety of products adapted scrupulously to our customer’s drawings and specifications. The process embraces the planning stage, the verification of the design through rapid prototyping, the production of a first article in the series, detailed documentation, final inspections and approvals, and finally serial production in the state-of-the-art production line in the company's factories. "Over the years of the company's activity, we have developed a systematic, efficient, and proven process that allows us to produce precise and repeatable products that are specifically adapted to the strictest requirements of our customers. We focus on the quality and reliability of the product, with emphasis on a competitive price, as far as possible, and short and precise delivery times," notes Erez. "Next year, we will continue the process of growth and deployment of new technologies. We will add and integrate advanced robotics and automation on the production floor, as yet another important element in the improvement and accuracy of the quality processes. This will help keep the company at the forefront of technology and will provide an innovative and advanced response to future developments and production needs," says Eldar.

Another indication of the company’s success is its being chosen, for years on end, out of many companies, as the leading supplier, especially in the defense industry. "We consider our customers as our strategic partners for the long term, and they receive decades of experience and professionalism from a fully dedicated and responsible team. We provide them with a personalized and complete package of engineering support services, advanced production services, and even logistic support in purchasing and supplies," Erez elaborates.

The company's clients include a long list of groups and industries, among them the Elbit Group and Israel Military Industries, Rafael Advanced defense Systems, Israel Aerospace Industry, Beit Shemesh Engines, Tomer - a government-owned defense company., the Ministry of Defense, the IDF, the Negev Nuclear Research Center, as well as a variety of civil companies, leaders in their fields, from various industrial sectors.

Strict production and detailed traceability
In 2010, the company's activities and its operational and production assets were purchased in full, from Mr. Haim Modai a veteran and an the expert of the Israeli rubber industry, by the two partners, Yuval Erez and Ohad Eldar, who manage it together. Ohad has over 35 years of experience in management and production in the rubber industry, and Yuval has over 35 years of experience in development, production lines, and business management. Together they share the special spirit of dedicated and professional teamwork and are well known in the industry for stretching the limits of materials and technology beyond limits, enabling their customers to "realize dreams in rubber as we’ve rubbered them all” says Erez.

quality control and quality assurance at SKM Aeronautics is audited by the Standards Institution of Israel in accordance with strict quality standards, including AS9100 for the space, aviation, and defense industries, ISO13485 for the medical products industry, and ISO9001 for a variety of civil industries. Eldar elaborates: "From the beginning, the process is based on a dynamic, intimate, and open dialogue with our customers in fact, we define it “from formulation to application”. It includes an engineering and technological risk survey and a preliminary examination of the set of requirements for the product, including the geometric shape of the product, the work environment in which it will be function, the variety of exposures it will face such as liquids (fuels, oils, etc.), heat in a range of temperatures, radiation, shocks, vibrations, acceleration, abrasion, fatigue, aging within its expected lifespan, and of course the limitations of the designated budget along with commercial risks . As part of the survey, the company also offers the use simulations and analyses, and examines different options for materials. Eventually, the compound that is most suitable for the application is chosen together with the customer".

As one of the most advanced companies in its field " SKM has its intellectual property knowledge for a wide variety of unique compounds of silicones, Fluro elastomers and technical rubber, based on advanced high-performance polymers in all the durometer rage ," according to Elder, "in a way that meets stringent international rubber standards, including military and aviation standards."

Can you give examples of the variety of compounds?
"We produce with exotic compounds intended for the hot working environments of jet engines, with compounds that dedicated to conduct electricity or heat, and compounds for an electromagnetic work environment (EMI) and for communication and radio systems(RFI), as well as insulative compaunded, reinforced compounds, a range of compounds for hydraulic and pneumatic sealing, and for energy and shock absorption. In the last decade, we added a variety of mixtures that meet the special requirements accepted in the semiconductor industry as well as mixtures for medical products that meet the requirements of the American FDA. We purchase high-quality raw materials in Europe, the US, and Japan from the best producers, based on their unique areas of expertises.”

"In addition, and as part of the internal audit mechanism and of ensuring the quality of the materials, SKM has a material laboratory that tests, approves, and validates, with detailed documentation, the quality and compatibility of our compounds in accordance with the requirements and specifications of the customers. But this is not enough. After defining the mixture, our production engineering team designs and produces molds for compression molding or transfer injection molding as well as dedicated auxiliary devices. The first production model is tested and documented, always using the final production infrastructure, after which additional production series are also approved and documented, as needed. All process steps are documented in detail, and all our production Route Cards and are barcoded to maintain the traceability of the information in our ERP system," Elder clarifies.

"Production is carried out in Israel, based on technologies applied in the rubber industry, including kneading, and mixing, and of course compression and transfer injection molding in state-of-the-art production machines that are at the forefront of rubber technology. All the machines are equipped by controlled vacuum chambers, heat, pressure, speed and time parameters. For extremely precise production, we use special machines for cutting and engraving rubber. Products are de-flashed and finished using several methods, including trimming and advanced cryogenic technologies. The final inspection is performed semi automatically, using state-of-the-art optical systems. Packaging and marking are done in accordance with aviation, military and civilian standards to allow identification, maintain traceability, and protect against damage.”

"SKM Aeronautics has a unique technological expertise for ridged connection (bonding) of a variety of silicones and rubber types mainly to metals, for critical applications intended for high-pressure sealing and high working temperatures. This over-molding technology, with necessary changes, is also applied to composite materials as well as to plastics and even electronic circuits and flexible antennas. The bonding is carried out in special molds, by compression or injection molding under heat and high-pressure. This technology guarantees zero defect rate and an exceptional adhesion between the rubber layer and the base layer to which the rubber is connected," notes Elder.

Involvement in the Merkava and Namer Projects
Since the early 1980s, SKM Aeronautics has been involved in the development and manufacture of various rubber items for the Merkava tank project and the Merkava-Namer APC. The interface of these developments and manufacturing was established by means of requirements, including a variety of hydraulic seals for propulsion and power transmission systems; vulcanization of shock absorbers and dynamic restraints; development and manufacturing of items integrated into the precise and modern armament of the Merkava Mark 4 tank, such as vulcanization of pressure seals on the armament base-rims for sealing the pressure between the armament and the cannon; vulcanization of rigid shock adapters for absorbing the energy and the recoil that erupts during firing, to protect the detonator of the ammunition; vulcanizing steel and tungsten fragments in silicone packaging fitted on the heads of modern 120mm projectiles specifically designed to reduce collateral damage; vulcanizing joint mounts of shock absorbers to dampen fuel tanks; vulcanizing head guards for the gunner in fire command and control systems; and various pneumatic seals installed in the air supply mechanisms in the personnel cabins and fire-control systems, and more. Manufacturing at SKM Aeronautics also involves responsibility for a variety of processes, carried out under strict supervision by qualified subcontractors, for example, for machining, surface treatment, coating, painting, and more.

The contribution of SKM Aeronautics to the resilience of the country's security started back in the early 1960s with the development and manufacture of rubber parts for the defense industry. In those years, the company focused on establishing an Israeli blue-and-white capability for the local production of hydraulic seals, accessories, and engineered rubber parts, mainly for the Air-Force fighter jets (the Mirage, and later for the Kfir and the Lavi), as well as for most of the helicopters. This activity earned the company with certificates of appreciation from the Air Force and the Israel Aerospace Industry.

In the last decade, SKM Aeronautics took part in several classified development projects led by the defense industry, the Intelligence Division, and the Prime Minister's Office. "These projects ended with extraordinary success, we manufactured operational products that actually proved their operational performance," notes Erez. "Two unique and particularly complex projects won their developers in the defense industries with the prestigious Israel Defense Award. The awards were given to the developers for extraordinary and significant breakthroughs, and for establishing local production capabilities and technologies that were not in the possession of the state until then." According to Erez, "in these projects, SKM Aeronautics had the privilege and honor to contribute its part in the development of special rubber compounds, along with the integration processes and, of course, in the manufacture of a large number of complex fluoro-elastomer items, combining several cutting-edge technologies. We are extremely proud of our contributions to the full and successful completion of these projects, with the required quality, on the required dates, and within the budgets designated for them."

Research And Development Under The European Union
In the last decade and as part of deepening the company's research and development activities, SKM Aeronautics is an active partner in four projects for the development of innovative technologies within the applied research program HORIZON 2020 by the European Union. The company developed, and continues to do so, alongside European partners (leading universities and research institutions in their fields), patented technologies for reducing friction in dynamic seals, as well as innovative and groundbreaking technologies for unique texturing, roughening and surface activating of complex rubber surfaces directly at molding stage. This is required mainly to improve vulcanization or high-quality bonding, in particular on exotic materials. The novel technology also eliminate the need to apply a supplementary roughening process, which until now has customary been accomplished through destructive sandblasting on rubber surfaces after the parts were molded. "In these projects, SKM Aeronautics was praised by the innovation assessment body on behalf of the European Union and is nominated for winning two awards of excellence for its work," Erez notes.

Another commendation can be attributed to the company for its active commitment during the corona epidemic. Simultaneously with continuing the production under emergency regulations, SKM Aeronautics was an active partner in an experimental project of the European Union, in which a systematic and structured process was designed, so that in an emergency period and on short notice, it will be possible to Re-purpose active production lines for the manufacture of life-saving accessories. "In this project, SKM Aeronautics demonstrated its practical ability to convert an active production line in an emergency situation and divert it to manufacturing of reusable protective face masks made from transparent silicone, which were also developed and manufactured by SKM in an accelerated process as part of the project. This ability to re-purpose existing production lines during emergency periods is now being transferred through our partners in the project to various knowledge and production centers in Europe. They are intended to enable as many Europeans manufacturers as possible to provide a quick response, each in their own region, in the event of an emergency or a recurring epidemic," notes Erez.

In collaboration with SKM Aeronautics