Creating Custom Crating for Aerospace Landing Gear

Our leading aerospace client needed a custom industrial packaging solution capable of safely transporting large nose landing gear assemblies across North America. 

The aerospace packaging had to support the weight of the component, protect its finished surfaces, and ensure it arrived exactly as it left.

Heavy systems like nose landing gear are:

• Surface-critical
• Weight-intensive
• Built to extremely precise tolerances

Any movement, vibration, or damage during transit can create serious operational and financial consequences. And this is where SmartShield came in. Read on to see how we approached this project.

Client Challenge

Nose landing gear systems present a unique packaging challenge. They are large, heavy, and engineered to exact specifications, meaning they require extremely stable handling during transit.

For this project, the client needed custom crating designed specifically for aerospace transport. The system had to secure the gear within the crate while protecting critical surfaces from damage during long-distance shipping.

Beyond protection, the packaging also needed to perform consistently over repeated shipments. The client required a durable solution they could rely on again and again.

In short, they needed industrial packaging engineered for strength, precision, and reliability.

SmartShield Solution

To meet these requirements, we designed a custom crating system built specifically around the geometry and weight of the landing gear:

• The foundation of the solution was a solid deck platform pallet topped with plywood, creating a stable base capable of supporting the heavy aerospace component during transit.
• On top of the pallet, our team installed custom CNC-machined cradles designed to position the landing gear precisely. These cradles were lined with protective foam to prevent surface damage and absorb vibration during transportation.
• To secure the gear firmly in place, ratchet straps were mounted directly to the cradles, allowing the client to easily fasten the landing gear down and eliminate movement during shipping.
• Finally, a bolted plywood hood was constructed and placed over the platform, creating a protective enclosure around the component.
• Together, these elements created a custom industrial packaging solution designed for repeatable aerospace transport.

Results

The finished crating solution gives our client a secure and dependable way to transport their nose landing gear assembly across North America.

With the gear securely ratcheted in place and enclosed within the protective hood, the system travels safely shipment after shipment.

Most importantly, the client has confidence that their aerospace component will arrive exactly as intended,ready for the next stage of its journey.

Looking for something similar?

If you’re shipping large or high-value aerospace components and need custom industrial packaging designed for strength and precision, we’d love to help.

At SmartShield, we design custom crating and packaging solutions that protect your components from departure to destination.