E-Props: Workshops and Production Equipment
E-PROPS' headquarters, design office and manufacturing workshops are located on the edge of Sisteron airfield (LFNS), in the town of Vaumeilh, in the Alpes de Haute-Provence (between Grenoble and Marseille), at an altitude of 535 m. The industrial area has direct access to the 1000 m runway.
This page presents E-Props' industrial facilities in three parts, to expand below: the workshops themselves, spread over 8200 m² on the industrial site; the production equipment installed there — RTM, CNC machining, 3D printing, integrated IT management, test benches; and practical information on how to get there, by air or by road.
1 — E-Props workshops (8200 m²)Workshop 1 (1600 m²), Workshop 2 (900 m²), Workshop 3 (500 m²), Workshop 4 (1000 m²), Workshop 5 (4200 m², main plant).
Workshop 1 (1600 m²)
Historic workshop, present on the industrial site since 2011. Currently dedicated to test facilities, test benches and propeller assembly.
Workshop 5 (4200 m²) — main plant
Electravia E-Props' main plant, with CNC machining centres, robots and additive manufacturing machines.
Production: over 75000 carbon parts a year.
Plant currently undergoing EASA POA Part-21G certification.
This ultra-modern factory building is fitted with a fully automated ventilation system designed to save as much energy as possible: a high-efficiency heat exchanger, adiabatic cooling using harvested rainwater, and thermal storage keep the workshop at a steady, regulated temperature — 25°C in summer and 21°C in winter. This climate-control system was entirely designed and built in-house by E-Props' own engineers. The factory roof is also fitted with photovoltaic panels, with a total power of 500 kVA.
2 — Production equipmentcustom-built RTM injection centre, 8-axis machining centres with laser scanner, blade/hub/spacer/spinner molds, professional 3D printers, integrated IT management system, test benches.
Custom-built RTM injection centre
An ultra-modern, computer-controlled, 18-tonne machine complex, enabling the molding and injection of 350 carbon propeller blades per day. Designed and manufactured entirely by E-Props engineers.
8-axis machining centres with laser scanner (TRM-8)
These CNC machines have been custom-designed and built to perform the dimensional analysis, rectification and finishing of carbon components fully automatically, without ever removing the part from its fixture. They are fitted with 5-axis directional spindles, programmed from the digital definition of the part, and a large tool store. The laser scanner's measurement accuracy is 5/100th of a millimetre: the scanner sweeps the part, the program identifies it from its database, and the various tools then carry out all the finishing operations — deburring, cutting, drilling, sanding and polishing. Every step between the mold and the finished-parts stockroom is fully automated. A robotic arm presents the components to the machining centre.
Blade, hub, spacer and spinner molds
E-Props engineers design and manufacture the molds for propeller blades, hubs, spacers and spinners. Several mold technologies are used.
Professional 3D printers
Used to produce tooling, some molds, prototype and pre-production parts, as well as ultra-light functional components.
Integrated IT management system
The plant and the entire production chain are managed by a dedicated, in-house-designed IT system: E-Light lighting with home automation, fire and intrusion alarms, internal and external cameras, and of course full production-line management for perfect traceability.
Test benches
- Terminator: dimensional inspection of blades and components by high-precision laser scanner.
- Traction bench: 40-tonne hydraulic cylinder for traction and compression testing of blades and hubs.
- Fatigue bench: alternating bending to establish the real service life (MTBO) of a propeller.
- RESONATOR: torsional vibration bench, dedicated to the development of propellers for direct-drive engines.
- Chicken Gun: bird-strike impact bench, built in-house for the ASCALON range.
- SHEEVA: high-pressure hydraulic bench to validate the regulators of the GLORIEUSE range.
3 — Location: Sisteron airfield
HELICES E-PROPS is located on the edge of Sisteron - Vaumeilh airfield (LFNS), a 10-minute flight south of Gap-Tallard.
Address: 195 Route de l'Aviation, 04200 Vaumeilh, France
GPS: 44°17'03.9"N 5°55'58.9"E
The grass runway is 1000 m long, with a 700 m hard-surface acceleration strip.
This airfield, managed by the gliding club, is for restricted use.
"Extension of restricted use to aircraft using the services of companies located on the edge of the airfield"
It is therefore not necessary to contact the DGAC or the airfield manager before landing — just check that the NOTAM is active.
If you make radio contact, please specify that you are coming to see E-PROPS. For propeller fitting or inspection, come directly to the ELECTRAVIA - E-PROPS hangar, following the hard-surface taxiway (disregard the yellow crosses painted on it). Please let the E-PROPS team know of your visit in advance.
North of the town of Sisteron, first follow the D1085 towards Gap. After the commercial zone (Super U, Brico Dépôt...), take the direction of La Motte du Caire - Vaumeilh, heading east on the D4. Drive 2.3 km then turn left following the direction of Vaumeilh - Thèze, still on the D4, heading north — Sisteron airfield is signposted. Continue on this road for 3.2 km, straight ahead, following the direction of Thèze, without turning towards Vaumeilh village. The first entrance to the airfield (on your left) leads to the gliding club and the restaurant. The second entrance, 270 m further north, still on the D4, leads to the ELECTRAVIA - HELICES E-PROPS industrial zone.
On the D1085, at the roundabout just before the commercial zone (Super U, Brico Dépôt...), take the direction of La Motte du Caire - Vaumeilh, heading east on the D4. Drive 2.3 km then turn left following the direction of Vaumeilh - Thèze, still on the D4, heading north — Sisteron airfield is signposted. Continue on this road for 3.2 km, straight ahead, following the direction of Thèze, without turning towards Vaumeilh village. The first entrance to the airfield (on your left) leads to the gliding club and the restaurant. The second entrance, 270 m further north, still on the D4, leads to the industrial zone where ELECTRAVIA - HELICES E-PROPS is located.
