Aerospace Sourcing
Melbourne, FL

Aerospace CNC Machining for Melbourne Programs

Melbourne's aerospace work is mostly defense electronics, aircraft engineering and business jet production clustered around Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Buyers here usually need tight tolerance housings and structures with full AS9100 flow-downs, and often controlled data handling.

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How Melbourne differs from the launch end of the county

Melbourne sits at the south end of Brevard County, a long drive from the pads on Merritt Island and the cape. Its buyers mostly build electronics, aircraft and defense systems rather than launch hardware, so the machining they ask for looks different.

Where a launch site buyer needs a bracket by Thursday, a Melbourne program buyer is more likely to need a batch of precision housings with a full first article, mill certs, approved finishing and a data package that holds up in a customer audit. Schedules still matter, but documentation carries more weight.

The airport is where the work is

Most Melbourne aerospace activity sits on or next to Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB). The airport used the name Orlando Melbourne International from 2015 until a 2021 settlement with Orlando International Airport, so older drawings, purchase orders and vendor lists may still carry the earlier name.

The anchors are well documented:

  • L3Harris Technologies lists its corporate headquarters on West NASA Boulevard in Melbourne and says it has been based there since 1978.
  • Northrop Grumman runs a large campus beside the airport. In August 2026 employees celebrated a new 300,000 square foot engineering building there, planned with 17 secure labs for advanced aircraft design, on a campus of about 5,000 people.
  • Embraer opened its first U.S. final assembly plant at the airport in February 2011 to build Phenom business jets, and opened an Engineering and Technology Center next to it in September 2014.

Airport tenant listings also name companies such as Collins Aerospace and Thales. A buyer at any of these sites, or at one of their many suppliers, has a cluster of machine shops, finishers and inspection services within a short drive.

What Melbourne programs typically order

The parts follow the products.

  • Electronics enclosures and chassis. Aluminum housings with tight flatness on mating faces, EMI gasket grooves, threaded inserts and chemical film or anodize.
  • RF and microwave structures. Waveguide features, cavities and covers where surface finish and dimensional control affect performance.
  • Aircraft structure and interior parts. Machined fittings, brackets and trim for business jet and military aircraft programs.
  • Test and production tooling. Fixtures, gauges and holding tools for assembly lines and test stations.

Harness, circuit card and sheet metal work often travels with the machined parts on the same program. A single request that covers the housing, the enclosure panels and the cable assembly saves the buyer from managing three separate suppliers.

Flow-downs to expect on a Melbourne PO

Melbourne work is mostly defense and aircraft production, so assume the full set of requirements, not just the drawing.

  • Quality system. AS9100 is the norm for production machining. Prototype and tooling work is sometimes placed with shops still working toward it, with the buyer's approval.
  • First article inspection. AS9102 for new parts and design changes. See AS9102 FAI for buyers.
  • Material traceability. Mill certs tied to heat or lot, and sometimes restrictions on country of origin for specialty metals.
  • Special processes. Anodize, chemical film, plating, passivation, heat treat and NDT from sources your customer approves.
  • Controlled data. Defense drawings often carry ITAR or EAR markings or CUI. That limits who can see the files and how they move.

Business jet work follows aviation quality rules rather than defense data rules, which can widen the pool of shops that can quote it.

Handling ITAR and CUI drawings

If a drawing is export controlled or marked CUI, it should never go through a public web form or an unencrypted email chain to a shop you have not vetted.

Our process: send a description and the non-controlled details first. Every supplier signs a flow-down NDA before seeing customer files. Controlled data moves by secure transfer to US persons only, and suppliers do not learn who the end customer is unless you approve it. The details are on our confidentiality page.

For shops, handling CUI also brings CMMC requirements. When a Melbourne program has CUI on its drawings, the supplier pool is smaller, so plan for that in the schedule.

Practical notes for Melbourne buyers

  • Use the cluster for source inspection. With shops and finishers nearby, it is realistic to witness a first article or audit a supplier in an afternoon. Say so in the request.
  • Combine related parts. Housings, covers and brackets for the same assembly are cheaper and easier to control when quoted together, with one inspection plan.
  • Watch the weather window. NOAA's Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with the most activity from mid-August to mid-October. Ask how a supplier protects work in process if a storm closes the area.
  • Check the airport name on paperwork. If a ship-to address or vendor record still says Orlando Melbourne International, update it to avoid confusion at receiving.

For cost drivers, see aerospace machining cost. For the full request list, see the RFQ checklist. Defense buyers may also want the defense contractors page. The rest of the state is on the Florida page, and the service overview is aerospace CNC machining.

Send a Melbourne machining request

Aerospace Sourcing, matches machining jobs to qualified suppliers, flows down your quality and special process requirements, and gives you one quote, one lead time and one point of contact. Every order ships with a certificate of conformance, and other certs when your request calls for them. A person replies within one business day.

If you have housings, fittings or tooling for a Melbourne program, start a CNC request with the non-controlled details and we will set up secure transfer for the rest.

Questions

What is the current name of the Melbourne airport?

Melbourne Orlando International Airport, code MLB. From 2015 the airport used the name Orlando Melbourne International, and a 2021 settlement with Orlando International Airport led the Melbourne Airport Authority to switch the order of the words. Older documents, vendor records and ship-to addresses may still show the earlier name, so it is worth checking purchase orders and receiving instructions.

Can you source machined parts that require AS9100 and AS9102 first article inspection?

Yes. We flow your quality requirements down to the supplier, including AS9100 expectations, AS9102 first article inspection, material traceability and approved special processes, and we check the paperwork before delivery. Every order ships with a certificate of conformance. Tell us which records you need, such as FAI forms, mill certs or process certs, when you send the request.

How do I send ITAR controlled drawings for a Melbourne program?

Not through the website. Send the non-controlled details first, such as material, size, quantity, finish and need date. Every supplier signs a flow-down NDA before seeing customer files, and controlled data moves only by secure transfer to US persons. Suppliers do not learn the end customer unless you approve it. Our confidentiality page explains the steps.

Are business jet parts treated differently from defense parts?

Usually. Aircraft parts for commercial business jets follow aviation quality requirements, while defense parts often add export controls, CUI handling and defense contract clauses. The machining may be similar, but the supplier pool and the paperwork differ. Telling us which program type the part supports helps us match it to the right shops from the start.

Can I get housings, sheet metal and cable assemblies on one order?

Yes, that is a common request. We can source the machined parts, sheet metal enclosures and harnesses for the same assembly from different qualified shops, then give you one quote, one lead time and one purchase order. Each supplier gets the requirements that apply to its part, and the paperwork comes back together.

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