Collins Aerospace Systems has unveiled an alternative to lumber designed for accurate colour-matching to business jet wood veneers while providing environmental sustainability. Through patent-pending technology, PrecisionPlank also enables custom-sized boards to be constructed from existing veneers.
“Today’s methods of matching lumber materials to existing aircraft veneers are time-consuming, expensive, and at times, wasteful,” said Ian Webb, vice president of business development for Collins Aerospace. “With PrecisionPlank we are able to provide the exact board required to match the chosen veneer.”
Exact board matching is achieved using PrecisionPlank’s proprietary method of spacing the board’s wood grain to replicate the grain of the chosen veneer. The board is free from the knots, defects and colour variance commonly found in raw lumber. This means Collins Aerospace can provide cabinet shops with the precise board at the right size to match their veneer.
“Typically, cabinet shops spend an incredible amount of time milling down raw lumber in the hopes of finding an exact board match,” said Webb. “The amount of wasted lumber and man hours is enormous. We’re thrilled to eliminate that guesswork and give our customers a more environmentally sustainable alternative.”
PrecisionPlank is available to business jet operators in as little as one week, as opposed to the 9-12-week lead time Collins Aerospace says is typical of composite lumber procurement.
