NEWTON, the new Safran's laboratory dedicated to wheels and brakes testing

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Wednesday, April 3, 2024, Safran Landing Systems inaugurated, on its Vélizy-Villacoublay site (France), an entirely revamped laboratory dedicated to testing its wheels and carbon brakes, and equipped with a new test bench. The company will have invested a total of 10 million euros to carry out this ambitious project. The result is a responsible working environment and the promise to reinforce the Safran's ability to develop and qualify higher-performance, more durable and competitive brakes as well as to keep pace with its customers’ ramp ups. This applies to almost all segments of civil, military and business aviation.

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Three years after the project's official launch, Safran Landing Systems’ “Wheels & Brakes” laboratory and its new test bench are finally ready!

With its latest-generation and connected industrial facilities, Newton will allow the teams to test new R&T prototypes, develop product maturity, simulate their behavior under operational conditions – in short, to carry out all the tests required to qualify a brake in an increasingly optimal way.

A state-of-the-art laboratory

Newton is a game-changer on several levels. Its new test bench is 30% more productive than the older-generation test bench it replaces.

This increase in performance is largely due to the introduction of 4.0 technologies, enabling test bench operation to be automated, and test progress to be monitored remotely 24 hours a day. As such, test quality and reliability are enhanced and cooling times are reduced by 20%, thus increasing the availability of the test bench.

Another reason for Newton’s performance boost is its lean organization, designed to eliminate any loss of time. All preparation activities, such as wheel, brake and tool assembly, which were formerly carried out in other buildings, have now been consolidated on site. Moreover, the workshop’s storage capacity has been optimized thanks to the installation of a 15-meter (49 ft) vertical storage system, designed to hold up to 53 trays, each containing 500 kg (1,100 lb.) of parts!

By expanding and modernizing Safran Landing Systems’ testing equipment, Newton will help boost the company’s operational performance.

In addition to technical and industrial performance, Newton also reflects Safran's values and CSR* commitments.

A responsible laboratory

In terms of environmental protection, the building has been insulated and connected to the Vélizy geothermal power plant to heat the workshop and office areas. As a result, the building’s carbon footprint has been reduced by 60% compared to previous facilities, i.e. a 32-ton annual decrease of CO₂ which is no longer released into the atmosphere.

In terms of HSE**, the Safran top collective priority, Newton shines once more! All workstations, whether in the tertiary area, the workshop or the bench area, now meet the highest ergonomic standards, and present zero red risks. All stations are on the same level to limit the risk of injury, and teams have access to hoists for moving heavy loads and lifting tables. The facilities have also been adapted to accommodate talents with disabilities. Finally, the laboratory was designed to guarantee high-quality acoustic insulation.

In addition, the bench’s automation will allow to significantly reduce night-time and weekend activity, drastically improving quality of life at work for the teams.

The ambition of Safra Landing Systems? That the technological progress of its industrial equipment is matched only by the quality of its working environments!

Thanks to this new laboratory, Safran Landing Systems acquires further resources to guarantee airframers, airlines and other operators increasingly ever higher-performance, more durable and more competitive brakes. These advances are in line with its corporate social responsibility commitments.

*CSR: Corporate Social Responsability

** HSE: Health Safety Environment

Inauguration of Newton - François Bastin's speech

Inauguration of Newton - Plate reveal

Inauguration of Newton - Jean-Michel Hillion's speech

Inauguration of Newton - Laboratory's team