As industry leaders, Avantus Aerospace produces the most comprehensive array of solid and laminated shims, specialised fasteners, metal parts and composite assemblies in the industry.

What is a shim?
A shim is a slender piece of metallic or non-metallic material that is placed between two component parts to either improve the fit between the two parts, for tolerance compensation, wear compensation or to enhance alignment or level. Shims have a range of purposes, from everyday  use such as levelling off an uneven surface, to complex tolerance compensation in aerospace engineering.

Types of shim
In addition to being available in a range of shapes, sizes and materials, shims can be laminated or non-laminated. Laminated shims, also known as peelable shims, offer versatility and convenience as they can be adjusted in the field to precise specifications. This is because laminated shims are made up of many thin layers of material, layered on top of each other and bonded together to act like a strong solid, but with the capacity to peel layers away to precisely alter the sizing of the shim.

Peelable shims can be surface bonded or edge bonded. Surface bonded shims are bonded together throughout the entire surface and usually require a tool to peel layers away, while edge-bonded shims are only connected at the outer edges, making them easier to peel away. This adds versatility while reducing waste as the layers peeled away from an edge-bonded shim can be kept and reused.

Benefits of keeping laminated shim stock
There are several benefits of keeping laminates shims over a range of different sized shims. As well as saving time, using laminated shims ensures versatility, enables accuracy in the field and reduces the need to hold large quantities of different sized shims. If you would like to know the viability of using laminated shims and discuss specialised production of precision crafted shims to meet your needs, get in touch – one of our skilled technicians will be happy to advise you.