NIAR labs receive AS, ISO certification

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University (Wichita, Kan., U.S.) announced on March 28 that it has received multiple certifications from the American Systems Registrar LLC, a provider of third-party systems registration in the aviation, space and defense industries.

NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) received AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015 certification with the scope of advanced composite manufacturing, machining, autoclave processing, and inspections for industry and defense programs.

“Accreditation from both of these internationally recognized quality management systems simultaneously is a major milestone for our growth,” says NIAR ATLAS director Waruna Seneviratne.

“ATLAS is equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing and inspection technologies and a staff committed to meet customer requirements. A team of experienced quality system experts and laboratory staff collaborated diligently to achieve this recognition on an aggressive schedule,” he says. “These certifications demonstrate our commitment to increasing customer satisfaction through continual improvement of our services.”

NIAR’s Advanced Machining and Prototyping Lab (AMP) was awarded AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015 with a scope of manufacture of high-precision machined components for applications in the aerospace and defense industries.

The certification effort was led by NIAR AMP general manager Andy Jonas, who recently oversaw the relocation of the lab to a 90,000-square-foot facility on the former Kansas Pavilions grounds in Park City.

“This certification allows us to implement improved quality management procedures, promote efficient manufacturing practices and empower employees to develop technology-based solutions for our customers,” says Jonas. “The timing of this certification is important to expanding the reach and strengthening the reputation of this unique new advanced manufacturing facility for the aerospace, defense and manufacturing industries.”

AMP specializes in turnkey engineering solutions, complex tool design, process planning, high-speed machining, cutting-edge quality control, applied learning, large CMM inspection, Vericut simulation, 5-axis machining.

ATLAS is a makerspace for industry-scale automated manufacturing research including automated fiber placement, fiber patch placement for complex geometries, thermoplastic welding, and thermoplastic over-molding for multi-functional integrated structures.