You can’t get a clear view of Gentex just by looking at its products on display at NBAA 2018. Mike Behm is the director of sales and marketing for the manufacturer of electronically dimmable windows (EDW), which are currently installed on Boeing’s 787. He noted that the technology behind the large (approximately 24- by 30-inch) curved Generation 3 EDW on display (Booth 1281) has undergone significant development since it made its debut last year. That’s underscored by a contract for a commercial system from “one of the major airline OEMs,” whose identity is undisclosed for now, scheduled to launch in the first half of 2019.

The same technology could quickly be adapted and certified for business aircraft, Behm added. “If an OEM said, ‘I want to put this in this plane, year 2020,’ we’d be ready to go.”

While new long-haul platforms from Gulfstream and Bombardier seem natural fits, “The reality is, in this business we see people willing to spend money to have cool, innovative things in aircraft,” Behm said. “So even for some of the smaller, regional-focused business jets, we’re still in a position to offer value.”

The new EDWs can be programmed to automatically respond to changes in light from the sun, as when an aircraft turns, via an adaptation of technology the Zeeland, Michigan company developed for the auto industry. “No one in aerospace has said, ‘We want to have that happen,’” Behm said of the self-adjusting capability, but “If someone put their hand up, we would do it.”

Gentex is now AS9100 certified, the same production standards to which aircraft OEMs operate, and should an OEM want windows delivered direct, “We’re capable and willing to go as a Tier One supplier,” Behm said.

Though slower to dim than suspended particle display (SPD) technology, Gentex windows offer reliability, with mean time between failures “in the tens of millions of flight hours,” and complete black-out capability, said Behm, citing a total opaque dimming time of “under 30 seconds.”

Behm noted his dimmable windows do require electricity to darken, so when the aircraft is parked on a ramp with engines shut down, the windows are transparent, allowing light, heat, and perhaps unwanted eyes inside the aircraft. But Gentex recently entered a technical agreement with ATG to produce electromechanical shades for Gentex, incorporating a design change that creates a combo electronic/electromechanical dimming system. Gentex can now offer high-end products for both the dimmable and pleated fabric shade markets, Behm noted, the latter allowing for a “harmonized interior experience.”

Aerospace and dimmable windows represent less than 1 percent of Gentex’s business, but Behm said the $2 billion company will expand its presence and product line in the business aviation market going forward.

“We’re looking at a lot of different technologies that could be applicable in VIP aircraft and the business jet industry,” said Behm, citing biometric authentication and sensing technologies among them.

Gentex’s windows formerly had been marketed by PPG as the Alteos Interactive Window, but Gentex is handling marketing in-house now. “We felt we could manage our product ourselves,” said Behm. PPG has since signed a marketing agreement with Gentex competitor Vision Systems of France.