Apopka, Florida // Engineering & Manufacturing // Est. 2004

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Aircraft painting access modernization

Dassault Aviation Aircraft Painting Access Modernization

As Dassault’s aircraft designs evolved, its aging steel painting access equipment no longer fit current requirements. Rather than continuing to modify worn equipment, Dassault partnered with JE to develop a modern, lightweight aluminum access system built specifically around current aircraft geometry and painting workflows.
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See what changed
Project record
In service
Steel → aluminum
replaced, not modified again
Customer Dassault Aviation
Application Painting and finishing
Delivered Tail Stand + Fuselage Stand
  • Dassault Aviation · painting operations
  • Two purpose-built stands: tail and fuselage
  • Designed from technician walk-throughs
  • Aluminum, not steel
01
The challenge

The Aircraft Moved On. The Stands Didn't.

Dassault’s existing steel painting stands were worn and no longer aligned with evolved aircraft configurations. Painting personnel needed improved access, mobility, and ergonomics — requiring a new generation of access stands rather than further modification of aging equipment.
Painting access coverage // elevation LEGACY vs PURPOSE-BUILT
Legacy One steel stand, built for an earlier airframe

Sized to a superseded geometry — the aft fuselage and tail go unserved.

Purpose-built Two aluminum stands, drawn to current geometry

Tail and fuselage both covered, at the heights technicians actually work.

Hangar floor Current aircraft geometry Legacy steel stand Purpose-built aluminum stand Surface the legacy stand no longer serves
One stand built for an earlier airframe left the aft fuselage and the tail unserved. Two stands drawn to the current geometry cover both.

Constraint 01

Worn Legacy Equipment

Existing steel stands showing wear and no longer optimized for current operations.

Constraint 02

Aircraft Evolution

Changes to aircraft configuration created new access requirements.

Constraint 03

Ergonomics & Mobility Gaps

Painting personnel needed improved access and maneuverability.
02
The solution

Drawn From How Technicians Actually Work

JE worked directly with Dassault stakeholders to understand how technicians interacted with the aircraft during painting operations, then developed a custom aluminum Tail Stand and Fuselage Stand system engineered specifically around current aircraft geometry and workflows.
Each constraint answered by a design decision

Constraint 01

Existing steel stands showing wear and no longer optimized for current operations.

Design decision

Lightweight Aluminum Construction

Improved maneuverability and reduced operator effort versus legacy steel equipment, with less to maintain over the stand’s life.

Constraint 02

Changes to aircraft configuration created new access requirements.

Design decision

Custom Tail Stand and Fuselage Stand

Two purpose-built platforms engineered around current aircraft geometry — safe access to tail surfaces during painting, inspection and finishing, plus improved access around critical fuselage work areas.

Constraint 03

Painting personnel needed improved access and maneuverability.

Design decision

Workflow-Led Design

JE worked directly with Dassault stakeholders to understand how technicians interacted with the aircraft during painting operations, then built the geometry around that.

Why aluminum // material change

4 AXES

Material

Steel, worn from years of service

Aluminum, purpose-built

Moving it

Heavy to reposition between jobs

Light enough to maneuver easily

Fit to aircraft

Sized for a superseded configuration

Drawn to current geometry

Upkeep

Repeated modification of aging equipment

Reduced long-term maintenance

Browse Dassault stands
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03
Operational impact

Legacy Steel Equipment Replaced With Purpose-Built Aluminum Systems

The modernized aluminum system replaced aging steel equipment with platforms tailored to current aircraft geometry, improving mobility and technician efficiency while reducing long-term maintenance requirements versus the legacy stands.

Drawn to today's jet

Modernized Aircraft Access

Purpose-built aluminum systems replacing aging steel equipment.

One crew can move it

Improved Mobility

Lightweight construction improved maneuverability and ease of use.

Built from the walk-through

Increased Operational Efficiency

Designed around actual technician workflow, not legacy constraints.
JE replaced Dassault’s aging steel painting stands with a custom aluminum Tail Stand and Fuselage Stand system engineered specifically around current aircraft geometry — improving mobility and reducing long-term maintenance requirements.
04
Related work

Where This Project Connects

Painting and finishing access is its own discipline — and this is the second JE programme where the paint environment shaped the engineering.

Project

F-22 Paint Booth, Tyndall AFB

The other paint-environment programme — where the booth’s hazardous classification drove the engineering.
Open project

Solution

Unique Geometry

The contour-fit discipline behind a stand drawn to one specific airframe.
Open solution

Application

Aerospace

JE’s commercial and business-jet MRO access work.
Open application

Catalog

Dassault stands

Dassault aircraft maintenance stands in the product catalog.
Browse catalog
05
Technical & operational FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q01

What equipment was replaced?

Aging steel access stands used for aircraft painting operations.
Q02

Why was a new design required rather than modifying the existing stands?

Changes in aircraft requirements meant the existing steel equipment no longer provided optimal access or efficiency, making a purpose-built redesign more effective than further modification.

Let's Turn Your Requirements Into a Solution

Still modifying stands built for an older airframe? Tell us what the aircraft looks like now.
Painting accessAluminum, drawn to the current airframe.
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