Engineering and design support for custom friction components
FTL supports engineering and R&D teams developing new friction components, reviewing existing designs and redeveloping legacy parts.
Start with the application, required function and currently available information. FTL can use SolidWorks design support to help connect the component geometry with the friction material, machining, bonding, finishing, inspection and production route.
This keeps the design decisions connected to how the finished component will be manufactured, tested and supplied.
FTL's engineering and design support is connected to custom friction-material and component manufacture rather than an off-the-shelf parts catalogue.
The applicable design, inspection, documentation and approval requirements must be agreed for each project.
When engineering and design support is the right starting point
Engage FTL when the component route still needs to be defined, reviewed or redeveloped before manufacture can progress responsibly.
A new application needs a custom friction component
The required function and operating environment are understood, but the component geometry, friction material or production route has not yet been established. FTL can connect application requirements, material selection or development, component geometry, prototype manufacture, testing and inspection, and controlled repeat production.
New Programme SupportAn existing design needs to be reviewed or refined
The current drawing or component may need review because the operating requirement has changed, a material or manufacturing route is changing, the component is not performing as required, the design must move into a different production route, or inspection or repeatability requirements need to be strengthened.
Performance OptimisationA legacy component must be redeveloped
The original component is still needed, but the original drawing is unavailable, only a partial drawing remains, the original friction material is obsolete, the original supplier no longer supports the part, or a physical component is the main source of information.
Legacy & Obsolete Reverse EngineeringThe material and component geometry must be considered together
The friction material cannot be selected responsibly without considering component shape, available installation space, mating surfaces, backing or associated metallic components, bonded interfaces, machining and finishing, and inspection and validation requirements.
The proposed design must be manufacturable and inspectable
The engineering team needs to understand how the proposed component will move through friction-material production, CNC machining, bonding, surface preparation, finishing, assembly, testing and final inspection.
A prototype needs a route into repeat production
The component configuration must progress from engineering review into prototype manufacture, inspection and testing, customer evaluation, agreed approval, controlled repeat manufacture and traceable supply.
What FTL engineering and design support can include
The exact scope depends on the application, currently available information and the respective responsibilities of FTL and the customer.
Application and requirements review
Understand what the component must do, whether it brakes, holds, locks, damps or controls motion, whether the requirement is new, existing or obsolete, the operating environment, available installation space, current performance or continuity concerns, and applicable documentation and approval requirements.
New component development
Review of the application brief, development of proposed component geometry, consideration of the friction material and complete component together, planning for machining, bonding, finishing and inspection, definition of the prototype configuration, and preparation for repeat manufacture.
Existing component review
Review of available drawings and specifications, review of the current physical component, identification of relevant geometry and interfaces, consideration of known performance or manufacturing concerns, assessment of the implications of a material or production-route change, and definition of further engineering or evidence requirements.
Legacy-component redevelopment
Where original information is incomplete: review of an existing physical component, review of partial drawings or specifications, redevelopment of component geometry, consideration of current application requirements, integration of an alternative friction-material route, prototype planning, and support for the agreed revalidation route.
Material and component integration
Consider how the friction material connects with component geometry, backing or associated metallic components, bonded interfaces, mating surfaces, surface preparation, finishing, assembly and inspection.
Friction Material FormulationManufacturing-route planning
Review the proposed design against confirmed FTL capabilities: CNC machining, controlled bonding, shot blasting, protective coating and paint finishing, UV curing, assembly, CMM inspection, and material, dynamic and shear testing.
Prototype definition and iteration
Define prototype configuration, material or component variants, required quantity, features and dimensions to inspect, tests to complete, evidence required for the next decision, and conditions that would trigger another iteration.
Design data and agreed outputs
Before work begins, agree what design or drawing work is included, who owns design authority, who approves the final component definition, what files FTL will receive and provide, file-transfer and confidentiality requirements, and drawing and revision-control responsibilities.
What to bring to the first engineering discussion
Start with what is known. FTL does not require every design detail to be final before the conversation begins.
Application and function
What equipment or system the component belongs to, what function it performs, whether it brakes, holds, locks, damps or controls motion, what outcome the engineering team needs to achieve, and what has prompted the enquiry.
Project starting point
Whether the requirement is a new programme, a new component for an existing system, an existing component under review, an obsolete component, a performance problem, or a prototype moving towards production.
Available geometry and interface information
Existing drawings, partial drawings, CAD files, physical components, photographs, installation-space information, mounting or interface requirements, and mating-surface information.
Operating environment
What is known about temperature, load, speed, contamination, required braking or holding behaviour, conditions under which the component is applied, and known wear or thermal concerns.
Material and component information
Existing material reference, existing component construction, backing-component information, bonding or assembly information, current manufacturing route, and known component or production concerns.
Required evidence and approval context
Dimensions or characteristics requiring inspection, testing requirements, acceptance criteria, documentation requirements, traceability requirements, customer approval process, and regulatory or programme requirements.
Production and supply context
Later discussions can cover prototype quantity, expected annual volume, repeat-production requirements, inventory holding, scheduled call-off, packaging, labelling and international delivery.
Expected annual volumes are discussed after the application and technical fit have been established.
Seven questions shape the component design route
What must the component do?
Define the required braking, holding, locking or motion-control function, the conditions under which the function is applied, the required response or behaviour, and known failure, wear or continuity concerns.
What must the component fit?
Review available installation space, mounting features, interfaces, mating surfaces, component envelope, existing assembly constraints, and relevant dimensions and tolerances.
What friction-material route is appropriate?
Assess whether the component should use an established FTL formulation, an optimised formulation, a newly developed material, or further application evidence before material selection.
Custom Friction Material FormulationHow will the complete component be constructed?
Consider the friction component, associated metallic component, bonded interface, surface preparation, coating or finish, assembly, and mating-surface relationship.
How will it be manufactured?
The design route should account for material form, machining stages, bonding requirements, surface preparation, finishing, assembly, and prototype and repeat-production needs.
What must be inspected or tested?
Define critical dimensions, CMM inspection requirements, material or dynamic testing, bond or shear testing, in-process checks, final inspection, and acceptance evidence.
How will the approved component be controlled and supplied?
Establish the approved component configuration, material reference and revision, drawing or design revision, production controls, traceability, change-control responsibilities, and inventory and delivery requirements.
A controlled path from engineering brief to production-ready component
The exact sequence varies by project, but every stage should produce enough information to support the next technical decision.
Establish technical fit
- Application
- Required function
- Current component or design status
- Available technical information
- Immediate performance or supply concern
- Required project outcome
Define design responsibilities
- Who owns the original design
- Who holds design authority
- Who approves drawings or definitions
- What FTL develops
- What stays the customer's responsibility
- Confidentiality and file transfer
Define the application requirements
- Required function
- Temperature, load, speed, contamination
- Geometry and interface constraints
- Required material behaviour
- Documentation and validation requirements
Review available design and component evidence
- Drawings and CAD files
- Existing components
- Partial specifications
- Material and inspection information
- Test results and evidence gaps
Develop or redevelop the component route
- Proposed component geometry
- Existing geometry requiring revision
- Legacy geometry requiring redevelopment
- Friction-material integration
- Associated metallic components
- Bonding, finishing, manufacturing and inspection implications
Review manufacturability and inspection
- Available machining routes
- Bonding requirements
- Surface preparation and finishing
- Assembly and inspection access
- Prototype production and repeat manufacture
Agree the prototype and test plan
- Prototype configuration
- Material and component variants
- Quantity and manufacturing stages
- Dimensions to inspect
- Tests to complete and acceptance evidence
- Customer and FTL responsibilities
Manufacture and inspect the prototypes
- Friction-material stages
- CNC machining
- Surface preparation and bonding
- Finishing and assembly
- CMM or final inspection
Test, review and refine
- Complete agreed testing and inspection
- Review evidence against requirements
- Revise material, geometry or route where needed
Support customer validation and approval
- FTL supplies the engineering, manufacturing, testing and inspection information in scope
- Customer or appointed authority completes system-level, equipment-level or regulatory work it owns
Establish controlled production configuration
- Material reference and revision
- Component geometry
- Drawing or CAD revision
- Manufacturing and inspection requirements
- Production records and traceability
- Change-control responsibilities
Transfer into repeat manufacture and supply
- Controlled repeat production
- Final inspection
- Secure finished-goods storage
- Scheduled call-off
- Customer-specific packaging and labelling
- Export documentation and international delivery
What an engineering and design engagement can deliver
Deliverables must be agreed for each project. Not every engagement includes every item below.
Requirements and scope definition
Application summary, required component function, known operating conditions, available technical evidence, identified information gaps, design and approval responsibilities, and proposed next-stage scope.
Existing-component or drawing review
Review of available component information, existing geometry and relevant interfaces, identification of apparent design or production constraints, and definition of further information required.
Proposed component definition
Where included in scope: proposed component geometry, revised component geometry, and legacy-component redevelopment.
Material and component route
Friction-material route, component construction, associated metallic elements, bonding requirements, finishing requirements, inspection requirements, and prototype configuration.
Prototype components
Depending on scope: machined friction components, associated metallic components, bonded components, finished components, comparative variants, and inspected prototype parts.
Testing and inspection evidence
Agreed outputs from CMM inspection, dynamic and material testing, coefficient-stability assessment, wear-rate assessment, thermal-performance assessment, shear testing, in-process checks and final inspection.
Controlled production definition
Following the agreed approval route: approved material reference, approved component configuration, drawing or design revision, manufacturing route, inspection requirements, production records, traceability and change-control responsibilities.
A CAD model, drawing, prototype or test record is not an automatic approved production design until the customer's required review and approval route has been completed.
Design for the way the component will actually be manufactured
A component can look correct in a drawing but still require further review before it can be manufactured, bonded, inspected and repeated consistently.
FTL keeps the design discussion connected to its confirmed manufacturing capabilities.
Friction-material manufacture and machining
The design should account for material family, material form, required geometry, machining approach, prototype requirements and repeat-production requirements.
Associated metallic components
Where the complete component includes a backing or metallic element, define material, geometry, interfaces, surface preparation, finish and inspection requirements.
Bonding and surface preparation
Consider bonded area, associated component, surface preparation, bonding process, curing, bond or shear evidence, and final component inspection.
Bonding & FinishingFinishing and assembly
Define any applicable protective coating, paint finish, UV curing, assembly requirement, customer-specific identification and final preparation.
Inspection
The component definition should make clear which dimensions are critical, how they will be verified, which surfaces or interfaces require inspection, what final visual or assembly checks are required, and which records must be retained.
Prototype-to-production continuity
The production route should maintain alignment between approved material, approved component geometry, manufacturing processes, inspection requirements, traceability and the customer-approved configuration.
Redevelop the component when the original design information is incomplete
Legacy-component work often begins with partial evidence rather than a complete design pack.
An existing physical component can provide useful information, but the visible geometry alone does not confirm the original material, performance requirement, manufacturing route or current approval needs.
Useful starting evidence
- Existing physical component
- Partial drawing
- Historical specification
- Photograph
- Installation information
- Application description
- Service or performance history
- Existing material reference
- Known approval requirements
What the project must establish
- What the replacement must do
- Which geometry and interfaces are relevant
- Whether the current requirement differs from the original
- What material route should be assessed
- How the component will be manufactured
- Which dimensions and characteristics require inspection
- What testing and revalidation are required
What must not be assumed
- The original component was fully optimised
- The original material can be copied exactly
- Visible geometry defines complete performance
- A replacement is automatically like-for-like
- The original approval remains valid for a changed material or design
Use inspection and testing to support the next design decision
Engineering and design support should define what must be inspected or tested before a proposed component progresses.
CMM dimensional inspection
CMM inspection can verify relevant component dimensions against the agreed drawing or component definition. The project must identify critical dimensions, applicable tolerances, the inspection stage, required records and acceptance responsibility.
Dynamic and material testing
Depending on the agreed scope, FTL can assess coefficient stability, wear rate, thermal performance and material behaviour under the agreed test conditions. The test conditions must be defined for the individual project.
Shear testing
Where the component includes a bonded friction material, shear testing can support assessment of the bonded assembly within the agreed scope.
In-process and final inspection
The manufacturing route can include in-process checks, visual inspection, final assembly inspection, batch and lot records, and production documentation.
Design and validation boundary
- Which evidence FTL will produce
- What FTL testing represents
- What customer or system-level evaluation remains necessary
- Who approves the final component definition
- Who holds equipment, system or regulatory approval responsibility
FTL's testing and inspection support engineering and manufacturing decisions within the agreed scope. They do not automatically prove complete system performance.
Keep engineering decisions connected to the finished component
A fragmented route can separate component design, friction-material development, machining, bonding, finishing, testing and inspection across several organisations.
FTL can connect the relevant stages through one engineering and manufacturing chain, helping maintain alignment between the agreed component definition and the finished product.
Single-source manufacturing. Application review, engineering, friction-material, machining, bonding, finishing, testing, inspection and supply can run as one connected route. The full chain, and what it can mean for the engineering team, is set out on the single-source page.
Actual lead-time, procurement or cost benefits depend on your existing supply arrangement and the agreed project scope.
Engineering and design support across three project routes
Engineering support for regulated and demanding applications
The design principles remain application-led, but the operating, documentation and approval requirements differ by sector.
Aerospace
Component-development and redevelopment support for braking, locking, actuation and motion-control applications where traceability and validation responsibilities must be clearly defined.
Aerospace Friction Materials & Components →
Defence
Engineering support for custom and legacy friction components where supplier assurance, documentation, information handling and programme continuity matter.
Defence Friction Materials & Components →
Wind Energy
Component and material-development support for yaw-brake applications, including new programmes, performance review and obsolete-component continuity.
Wind Turbine Friction Materials & Components →
Industrial Equipment
Engineering support for industrial braking, crane, motor, safety-equipment and general motion-control applications.
Industrial Friction Materials & Components →Case example: redesigning an obsolete aircraft brake pad
SDTS approached FTL after the original aircraft brake pad was no longer available.
FTL worked with SDTS to redesign the pad, establish an appropriate replacement material route and manufacture a component aligned with the stated aeronautical technical requirements.
The work supported SDTS's route to a certifiable modification applicable to its aircraft.
“FTL's responsiveness in redesigning the pad with a material that meets aeronautical technical requirements, and their ability to adapt to our aeronautical environment allowed us to certify a modification applicable to our aircraft.”
Olivier Moulin SDTS
Read the Full SDTS Case Study →- Existing component no longer available
- Component redesign
- Replacement material route
- Adaptation to the application environment
- Technical and commercial collaboration
- Complete-component manufacture
- Support for a customer certification route
Frequently asked questions about engineering and design support
What engineering and design support does FTL provide?
Do I need a completed drawing before contacting FTL?
Can FTL work from an existing physical component?
Can FTL work from a customer drawing?
Which CAD software does FTL use?
Does FTL provide stress, thermal or fluid-flow simulation?
Does FTL design complete brake systems?
Can FTL develop both the friction material and the component?
Can FTL reverse engineer a component without the original drawing?
Can FTL modify an existing component design?
How does FTL consider manufacturability?
Can FTL manufacture the prototype after completing the design work?
Who approves the final design?
Does FTL testing approve the complete system?
Can engineering work progress into repeat production?
How long does an engineering and design project take?
When are annual volume and commercial details discussed?
Can FTL support customers outside the UK?
Bring FTL the application, existing component or design problem
Tell FTL what the component needs to do, what information your engineering team currently has and what has prompted the enquiry.
A short initial brief is enough.
The relevant technical, engineering and commercial team members can then review the application, available design information, material route, manufacturing requirements and most appropriate next step.
Optional drawing or specification upload available.