For engineers and maintenance personnel working with aircraft, understanding and adhering to the ‘shelf life’ of parts is critical. Not only does this prevent malfunctions, but it also ensures regulatory compliance, making the practice critical for effective aircraft maintenance.
What is Meant by the Shelf Life of a Product?
In aviation, ensuring the safety and airworthiness of aircraft relies heavily on managing two categories of products: life-limited parts and limited shelf-life materials.
Life-Limited Parts
Life-limited parts are components identified by the aircraft manufacturer or production certificate holder as having a limited life span. This is measured in hours, cycles, landings or by a specific date. The technician responsible for installing these parts must record all relevant information about the component and its replacement in the appropriate maintenance records.
Limited Shelf Life Materials
Why is 'Shelf Life' so Important in Aviation?
Adhering to shelf lives in aviation maintenance is critical for several reasons, including:
Safety
Shelf life limitations are outlined based on extensive testing and analysis to ensure that materials and components perform at their best. Using parts or materials beyond their shelf life can lead to malfunctions or failures during operation, posing significant safety risks.
Regulatory Compliance
With strict guidelines in place, adhering to shelf lives is a legal requirement within the aviation industry. Failure to comply could result in penalties, grounding of aircraft and the withdrawal of maintenance certifications.
Reliability
Aviation parts and materials are designed to work at their best within a specified time frame. Using them past their shelf life can lead to unpredictable performance, increasing the likelihood of unscheduled maintenance, operational disruptions and costly downtime.
Performance
The properties of materials such as adhesives, lubricants and sealants can diminish over time. For example, adhesives might lose their bonding strength, lubricants can fail to provide adequate protection and sealants can lose their securing capability.
Cost Efficiency
While it might seem cost-effective to use parts and materials beyond their shelf-life, the potential consequences such as equipment failure, safety incidents and regulatory non-compliance come at a much higher cost. Prioritising the efficient management of shelf lives helps to prevent these issues and ensures more predictable maintenance schedules and expenses.
Traceability and Quality Assurance
Maintaining records of shelf life adherence is essential for traceability and quality assurance. It allows maintenance organisations to track the use of materials and components, ensuring they meet all required standards and have not been compromised.
Preventative Maintenance
Aviation maintenance practices emphasise preventative maintenance to avoid failures before they occur. Adhering to shelf lives is a proactive approach that ensures all parts and materials are used within their optimal performance periods, maintaining the aircraft in the best condition possible.
Shelf Life in Aviation: How Can I Minimise Waste?
In navigating the strict requirements of shelf life management and the growing need to prioritise environmental sustainability, the aviation industry is facing a significant challenge in effectively managing aviation waste.
Several strategies can be implemented to reduce waste whilst adhering to the shelf life of aircraft parts, including:
Inventory Management System
A robust inventory management system can be implemented to track stock levels, usage rates and shelf-life. Specialised software can also be used to provide real-time data on inventory, help forecast demand and send alerts when stock is low or nearing expiration.
Just-In-Time (JIT) Inventory
A JIT inventory system can be adapted to receive materials only when needed, reducing the amount of stock held and minimising costs and waste.
At Aerospheres, we’re pleased to offer our customers access to our efficient JIT services.
Our expert team will determine and hold a monthly stock quantity for you, which you can access as needed. When your stock reaches the minimum level, you can simply pull the next month’s materials from us. It’s that simple! Please get in touch to find out more.
Forecasting & Planning
Using historical data and predictive analytics, you can forecast demand as accurately as possible.
Why the Shelf Life of Aircraft Parts Matters: Partner With Us
Understanding and managing the shelf life of aircraft parts is an essential practice for engineers and maintenance professionals. Ensuring the timely replacement of life-limited parts and proper handling of limited shelf-life materials directly impacts the safety, reliability and performance of aircraft.
By implementing effective inventory management systems, adopting JIT inventory practices and utilising forecasting and planning tools, the aviation industry can minimise the amount of materials going to waste thanks to expiration dates, ensuring products are used within their optimal performance periods.
To find out more about our efficient material management services, please get in touch. Our team experts are always on hand to answer your questions.
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