TAMADIC Participates in the Design and Production of Joby Aviation’s “eVTOL” Production Equipment

Design and produce tools to manufacture production prototype aircraft

Support next-generation air mobility development with its US subsidiary

TOKYO & NAGOYA, Japan–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TAMADIC Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan) received an order in June 2021 from Joby Aviation (Headquarters: Santa Cruise, California, USA), the developer of an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. TAMADIC designs and manufactures final assembly tools, and designs drilling tools, milling tools, as well as inspection tools. These tools, delivered in September 2022, are currently used in the production line to manufacture JOBY production prototype aircraft, including the first aircraft with Special Aircraft Certificate that rolled out in June 2023.

The final assembly tool delivered by TAMADIC is used to lower the main wing during the process of assembling by screwing the main wing to the fuselage. As for any aircraft, not only the eVTOL airframe but all the tools used to manufacture an airframe, must be developed according to standardized quality management system for the aerospace industry (AS9100). Also, eVTOL aircraft extensively uses Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) for its structure, as it is known for its light weight, high specific strength, and high specific rigidity. Tool design is handled by the Aircraft & Space Business Unit of TAMADIC, which is certified with the Aerospace Quality Management System, and has extensive capability in CFRP parts production engineering, including production process and tool design. The tools are manufactured in Japan and delivered to the Joby Aviation facility in Marina, California.

The eVTOL aircraft being developed by Joby Aviation can fly with one pilot and up to four passengers. It is electrical, thus features low noise and zero carbon emissions. On a single charge it can fly up to 100 miles with a maximum velocity of up to 200 miles/h. The company aims to start commercial services in the United States in 2025, and then expand internationally, including Japan. It is expected to solve various traffic problems such as reducing traffic congestion in urban areas and reducing environmental impact.

TAMADIC entered the aviation industry with the YS-11, the first indigenously developed passenger aircraft in post-war Japan, and has contributed to the development of the Japanese aviation industry through design development, production technology, and analysis services. In addition, it is one of the few companies in the Japanese engineering industry that has a local subsidiary in the United States*1, which in this project, it already handles the business aspect of the order including specifications clarification, schedules, and price negotiations. The company will continue to support the development of next-generation air mobility, aiming for smooth business progress between Japan and the United States.

*1 US Subsidiary: Tama Technical Core Co., Ltd. Located in Everett Washington USA, Founded in July 2017.

Contacts

Tama Technical Core Co., Ltd.

https://www.tamatc.com/
sales@tamatc.com
+1-425-610-4589

Tom Asano