Metal Machining as a Complement to Plastic Expertise

DEMGY Pacific (Tacoma, Washington — formerly Tool Gauge LLC) has been a trusted supplier of certified, flight-critical metal parts and assemblies to aerospace OEMs and Tier-1 integrators since 1966. While DEMGY Pacific's plastic machining capabilities serve aircraft cabin interior programs, its metallic manufacturing scope addresses structural airframe, landing gear, flight control and engine system components — manufactured to Boeing and Airbus program specifications across aluminium, steel, titanium and Inconel alloys.

For program managers and procurement teams already working with DEMGY Group on cabin plastic components, DEMGY Pacific's metallic capability offers a unique one-stop-shop advantage: a single qualified supplier able to deliver both plastic and metallic assemblies, manage metal-to-plastic conversion projects, and support hybrid component development — reducing supplier interfaces and accelerating qualification timelines on complex cabin and structural programs.

From Metal to Plastic: A Strategic Conversion Capability

The most significant value DEMGY Pacific brings to programs combining plastic and metallic components is its structured metal-to-plastic conversion expertise. With over 60 years of experience machining both materials under the same roof, DEMGY Pacific's engineering teams are uniquely positioned to evaluate metallic components for substitution with high-performance thermoplastics — PEEK, PEKK, PPSU — or hybrid thermoplastic composite solutions.

Benefits for cabin and structural program teams:

  • mass reduction of 20–60% versus aluminium equivalents on bracket and housing applications
  • elimination of secondary finishing operations (anodizing, chromating) through material substitution
  • part count consolidation through overmolding and hybrid composite integration
  • maintained or improved mechanical performance per CS-25 and FAR 25 certification requirements
  • single supplier qualification covering both the metallic reference and its plastic replacement

Current conversion applications include hydraulic and fuel line clamp assemblies (PEEK), structural cabin brackets, ECS housings and galley mechanism components — all previously machined in aluminium and now delivered in certified thermoplastic from the same North American facility.

A single supplier for both plastic and metal parts

For cabin programs where certain components remain in metallic construction — either for regulatory, structural or certification reasons — DEMGY Pacific provides a natural extension of its plastic supply relationship. Rather than qualifying a separate metal supplier, program teams keep the same quality framework, the same interface and the same FAI/PPAP documentation process already in place for plastic assemblies.

Covered alloys and applications:

  • Aluminium alloys — 7075-T7351, 7050-T7451, 7050-01 T73 — structural panels, brackets, support housings and flight control assemblies.
  • Steel alloys — 4330M, 15-5 stainless steel — landing gear spindle assemblies, retract actuators and high-load structural forgings.
  • Titanium & Inconel — flight-critical structural applications requiring high strength-to-weight ratios and thermal resistance.

Representative applications:

  • Landing gear: spindle assembly downlock, main gear retract, retract actuators
  • Structural airframe: rod support fan cowl, support housings, aft engine mount
  • Flight controls: swing link assembly elevator control, fuel door assembly

Manufacturing Capabilities

  • 3- to 5-axis CNC milling and turning (Al, CS, INCO, SS, Ti)
  • Concept-to-delivery machining for metals and plastics on the same site
  • In-house mold design and tooling fabrication
  • Multi-level assembly and finishing
  • Bonded and mechanical hardware installation, paint and coatings
  • Design for Manufacture (DFM) — including conversion feasibility assessment
  • Customized VMI/CMI inventory management
  • FAI & PPAP documentation packages

Certifications & Quality Framework

  • AS9100

  • FAI & PPAP documentation

  • RFID traceability on flight-critical assemblies
DEMGY ENGINEERING METAL-TO-PLASTIC EXPERTISE Our teams assess feasibility and define the optimal material and process strategy for your program.