Av-DEC® Company History

Longhorn Cattle Drive in Fort Worth Texas

The Av-DEC Story

Av-DEC - The World Leader in the Science of Corrosion Prevention.

Preventing aircraft corrosion is what Av-DEC does. The prevention of corrosion can be done using non-hazardous, durable, and easily applied products. This is the reason the company's engineers have continuously sought out better solutions to ensure corrosion is comprehensively eliminated and the aircraft is protected for the long haul. The Av-DEC story is one of constant improvement to help the aviation industry enhance aircraft safety through corrosion prevention.

Av-DEC Founding

1997 was the year that two engineers in Fort Worth, Texas, came together to start a great journey. The goal was to help the commercial & defense aerospace industry discover and eliminate corrosion challenges regardless of their complexity. This led to the design and development of the HI-TAK Antenna Gasket, which became the first Av-DEC commercial product for corrosion prevention. Since the beginning, a culture of staying close to the customer and showing up has been ingrained into the organization.

What's in a Name?

Av-DEC is an acronym for Aviation Devices & Electronic Components, a name that showcases the initial intent of the company's founders. Today, Av-DEC provides corrosion-prevention products and devices built for the aviation industry. The name Av-DEC highlights a commitment and dedication to the continuous development and improvement of corrosion-prevention solutions specifically for aircraft structures and components.

Early Growth & Developing New Products

Breakthroughs come with great effort. The wide-scale adoption of the Av-DEC antenna gasket by a major airline was a sign of things to come. The experience gained from viewing and understanding the corrosion problems the airline faced sent Av-DEC back to the lab. The result was the design and development of the HI-TAK polyurethane rolled sealants, a product the aviation industry greatly needed. These products helped original equipment manufacturers, airlines, and aircraft operators address level-2 corrosion problems underneath galleys, lavatories, and cargo areas.

A Research and Implementation Milestone

In 2004, the repair costs for a particular naval client due to corrosion in antennas, static wicks, electrical interfaces, and floorboards had reached approximately $318,000 per year. To forestall the accelerated degradation of these sensitive parts, Av-DEC conducted comprehensive research into causal factors to find the best ways to prevent corrosion to these parts. The Av-DEC engineers' lab work resulted in the birth of a new class of conductive gasket materials. After application, no corrosion was discovered and none of the sensitive components failed within the two-year testing timeline. This is how Av-DEC introduced itself to the naval- and marine-technology market.

An Expected Journey

Success, they say, begets success, and the adoption of early Av-DEC products led to the creation of more custom solutions to meet other corrosion-related challenges. Today, Av-DEC has thousands of antenna gaskets, polyurethane rolled sealants, injectable sealants, and sprayable sealant-solutions in its product catalog. Av-DEC products have been used to prevent corrosion on all types of aircraft across commercial, defense, and corporate aviation.

For two decades and counting, Av-DEC has been making dramatic improvements to its diverse product line and adding new products to its ever-expanding catalog. The future of Av-DEC will be defined by its passion to understand the science of corrosion and to perfect high-performing corrosion-prevention solutions for the most complex of corrosion challenges.

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