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On the Record
Bradley Morton, President-Aerospace, Eaton Corp.
“We’re not trying to sell more-electric vs more-hydraulic. As a power systems company we want the OEMs to think of us as experts on both.”
So says Bradley Morton, president of Eaton Corp.’s $1 billion aerospace business. “Latest technology must bring you something in terms of less weight, performance and reliability. We think we are more competitive as a systems integrator because of our expertise on the components, from fluid power, actuation, and fluid conveyance to electronic controls and distribution.
Eaton’s advanced technology on show here at Le Bourget includes the world’s first Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI), designed to bring a higher level of electrical system safety to commercial and military aviation and, a new Integrated Array Panel (CMOP) designed to bring a higher level of functionality to today’s modern cockpits that will result in improved operational reliability, lighter overall weight and lower cost. |
“One of our roles is to help the OEM assess the balance between hydraulics and electronics.”
It is, says Morton, all a question of tradeoffs. The latest 5,000-psi hydraulic systems can rival more-electrics in terms of weight, performance and reliability.
Eaton provided the world’s first 5,000-psi hydraulic power generation and fluid conveyance system for a commercial airliner in the A380, where going to the higher pressure (most airliners have 3,000-psi hydraulics) saved one tonne of weight throughout the airframe. “Eaton is in the forefront of this revolution,” Morton told Show News, “but we have been developing 5,000-psi systems for the military since the early 1960s, so it is not new technology.”
Recognition as an integrator is new for Eaton: its first commercial integrated system was the total hydraulic system and components (but not the fluid conveyancing) on the Hawker Horizon, which is making its Paris Air Show debut this week.
“We’re on all the major new fixed-wing aircraft typically with a system or subsystem, so we’re hedged across the whole range of platforms,” Morton said. “Our A380 win is one of the highest single-contents we have; we are hoping to exceed that on the Boeing 787.”
The French Aeronautical and Space Industries Group (GIFAS) has awarded full membership to Eaton’s aerospace business in the Aeronautical Equipment and Electronic Defense and Security Systems Group (GEASEDS). Eaton Corp. has three locations in France. |
On the military side, Morton is particularly proud of the role Eaton played in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. “We had a substantial part in the weight reduction,” he said, bringing Eaton’s expertise to bear in minimizing parts in the integrated hydraulic and fluid conveyancing systems in the wing. “We can balance the motors and valves to the optimum and get the most cost-effective result across the whole system. Eaton was able to do this as it had a critical mass of components to work with,” he said.
Morton aims to grow Eaton’s aerospace business by 50% over the market’s total expansion by capturing share, increasing content and moving into new markets. “There are some very small markets we would be excited to be in, so we see some bolt-on acquisitions,” he said. “We’re buyers, not sellers. But any acquisitions will build on our strategy of component expertise driving integration capabilities.”—John Morris
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