Nordisk Ultralite – a new container that reduces the weight by up to 25 per cent compared to conventional models through newly designed extrusions and Kevlar walls. Its total weight is a mere 55 kg!

 

Recently they launched the world´s lightest airfreight container!

World leading position
With a long industrial tradition behind it after more than forty years in the container manufacturing business, Nordisk Aviation Products has delivered over half a million units to 300 airlines worldwide. The product range includes containers and pallets, so-called unit loading devices, ULD, for freight of all types and aircraft models, and the company is a leader in the world market.

The head office, development and manufacture of Nordisk Aviation Products, part of American Teleflex Aerospace, are in Holmestrand, Norway and the company has factories in China and the USA. Furthermore, there are sales, service and maintenance offices in all regions worldwide.

Carbon mission
Few businesses create such special conditions and challenges for product development and product handling as does air transport with its rigorous security requirements, robust handling and focus on weight down to the gram level. With goods being lifted and flown, Nordisk Aviation Products has obviously put great emphasis on design and development with an optimal balance between the demands of strength, weight, safety functionality, durability and quality.

Each kilo that can be saved from the weight of the container itself means an increase in the potential cargo and passenger capacity, and reduced fuel consumption. In a world where the question of the climate is paramount, lighter and less energy craving ULDs can make an important contribution. An important ‘carbon mission’ for Nordisk Aviation Products.

The container’s base and frame extrusions are designed to minimise weight and maximise strength. They also have built-in functions that facilitate assembly, maintenance and service

Lightest in the world!
Consequently Nordisk has concentrated on the development of products that save weight over the past few years. A traditional container is made from aluminium extrusion frames and walls of sheet aluminium or sandwich construction. About five different extrusions are used in a normal container and the company’s range today includes over 150 extrusions.The extrusions are made almost entirely from a zinc alloy in the 7000 series with good strength characteristics. An alloy that is slightly more difficult to extrude but one where Hydro has long experience and great skill.

Finding opportunities to reduce the weight of products that are already optimised makes great demands on creativity and taking a detached view of the product, focusing on the opportunities rather than the difficulties. A new airfreight container was recently launched, the Nordisk Ultralite, that reduces the weight by up to 25 per cent compared to conventional models! The secret has been in the development of a frame based on a new generation of aluminium extrusions combined with walls made of Kevlar material. The result is a container model which weighs a mere 55 kg! The world´s lightest airfreight container in its class! The extrusions have been fully optimised in terms of both design and weight at the same time as retaining and adding to the characteristics that facilitate function, production and assembly as well as future maintenance and repairs.