Quality Aerospace Tooling The Right Step For Efficient Aircrafts

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: main hall panorama


Image by Chris Devers

See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | _details_pending_:

Aerospace tooling involves various complex process required in aircraft manufacturing right from conception to delivery. It is very important for those in the aviation sector to get its tooling systems from the apt service provider. Only then, can you expect to get the right solutions in aircraft designing and its overall functioning.

So, how would you know whether a firm dealing in aerospace tooling system is genuine and is just right for you? Well, here are a few things for you to consider that prove very helpful in the long run. Always make sure that the firm you are ordering your aircraft parts etc from, have the requisite expertise for giving you just the best. This includes a team of experts that have hands on experience in various projects like electro-hydraulics, programmable logic controls, motion control analysis etc.

If you are ordering online then you should ensure that the aerospace tooling firm has the right solutions to fulfill your needs even during tight deadlines. This is important as inability to meet deadlines would affect your business. Even quality is one thing which is to be constantly maintained for compromising on this would risk business, life and property in the crucial aviation sector.

So, get tooling systems only from quality production firms for assured and smooth operation of any mechanical production line. A good and experienced team dealing in aerospace tooling systems would take proper care to analyze your needs and then provide solutions as per your customized requirements. This means designing and fabricating these tools in composite component fabrication and assembly line jigs that come in various sizes, to suit user specifications. Aerospace tooling does not just stop at manufacturing the required tools, it also mean designing, building, installing and fine tuning the system as well. Some manufacturing firms even offer to even train the operators, if the need arises.

Additionally, the firm should have the ability to support a huge number of projects from large machining parts to small tolerance parts etc. supporting a wide variety of materials including Invar, Titanium, Inconel and composites is the hallmark of a good and reliable aerospace tooling manufacturing firm. Remember these and you can never go wrong while ordering these tooling systems.

Hi I am kyle Arthur expert in aerospace tooling.

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Quality Aerospace Tooling The Right Step For Efficient Aircrafts

Die Casting Aluminum and Its Significance in Aerospace Industry

Tornado GR 4 RAPTOR Imagery taken from Op TOR SHEZADA


Image by Defence Images

Imagery taken by a Raptor reconnaisance pod attached to a GR4 Tornado aircraft during operations in Afghanistan, showing coalition vehicles manoeuvring.

Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado, RAPTOR, which is built by BF Goodrich Aerospace, is a new stand-off electro-optical and infrared (IR), long-range oblique-photography pod fitted to the Tornado GR4.

The images received by the pod can be transmitted via a real-time data-link system to image analysts at a ground station, or can be displayed in the cockpit during flight. The imagery can also be recorded for post-flight analysis. The RAPTOR system can create images of hundreds of separate targets in one sortie; it is capable of autonomous operation against preplanned targets, or it can be re-tasked manually for targets of opportunity or to select a different route to the target.

The stand-off range of the sensors allows the aircraft to remain outside heavily-defended areas, to minimise the aircraft’s exposure to enemy air-defence systems.
This image is available for non-commercial, high resolution download at www.defenceimages.mod.uk subject to terms and conditions. Search for image number 45151698.jpg

—————————————————————————-

Photographer: 20100807_OP_TOR_SHEZADA_CF_PATROL_EN2_U_TIW

Image 45151698.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk

Die Casting Aluminum products are of great use in various industry sectors and more so in the aerospace industry where precision and high quality products is of utmost importance. These products are used in building both small as well as the major components in the aviation industry. Further, Aluminum Die Casting parts are used both in the commercial as well as pivotal military sector (in fighter planes etc). The reason for this is simple – they are cost-effective solutions and offer great results.

Apart from being cost effective, the components made from die casting aluminum are additionally prepared to endure harsh weather conditions and increased damages. Another most important reason for using aluminum products in aircrafts is that the metal is comparatively cheaper than other metals that are die-casted. Moreover, aluminum has the potential to gel with other metals in order to offer durability and much flexible.

With aluminum die casted products, you do not have to compromise on the quality yet can them at much cheaper production cost. In addition, all the standards that have been set for using of metal components, aluminum satisfy the need to the utmost. Hence, they are certified safe for use in planes, cost effective and have all the qualities that are required for flying crafts, so Die Casting Aluminum is on the rise like never before. In addition, the best thing about an aluminum die cast part is that its weight is favorable for the aircraft operations.

So, how exactly is Die Casting Aluminum done and what are the processes involved? Well, the answer is simple. Aluminum alloy is first forced into a high-grade steel tool at high speed and pressure in a high temperature. This results in superior quality products that are extremely light and thin walled ideal for use as aircrafts components.

It is to be mentioned here that Aluminum Die Casting is a complex method. Only a really experienced and high skilled team of engineers can ensure that the components come with high volumes or with better tolerances and surface finish. In fact, this type of pressure die-casting is far more popular than gravity die-casting or sand casting. This is because the need for machining in this method whether for aluminum or Zinc Die Casting is very low due to the close casting tolerances. Though the tooling costs in Die Casting Aluminum or rather any metal are considerably higher than the other two methods yet, the mechanical properties achieved thus are far better in terms of functionality.

Alyna Watson is Female and author for a variety of subjects like Die Casting, waterjet, Die Casting Aluminum, PCB Manufacturing, Zinc Die Casting, and other business equipments etc.

Die Casting Aluminum and Its Significance in Aerospace Industry

Aerospace Medicine - Essential For Passengers And Pilots Alike

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Space Shuttle Enterprise


Image by Chris Devers
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Space Shuttle Enterprise:

Manufacturer:
Rockwell International Corporation

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Overall: 57 ft. tall x 122 ft. long x 78 ft. wing span, 150,000 lb.

(1737.36 x 3718.57 x 2377.44cm, 68039.6kg)

Materials:

Aluminum airframe and body with some fiberglass features; payload bay doors are graphite epoxy composite; thermal tiles are simulated (polyurethane foam) except for test samples of actual tiles and thermal blankets.

The first Space Shuttle orbiter, "Enterprise," is a full-scale test vehicle used for flights in the atmosphere and tests on the ground; it is not equipped for spaceflight. Although the airframe and flight control elements are like those of the Shuttles flown in space, this vehicle has no propulsion system and only simulated thermal tiles because these features were not needed for atmospheric and ground tests. "Enterprise" was rolled out at Rockwell International’s assembly facility in Palmdale, California, in 1976. In 1977, it entered service for a nine-month-long approach-and-landing test flight program. Thereafter it was used for vibration tests and fit checks at NASA centers, and it also appeared in the 1983 Paris Air Show and the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. In 1985, NASA transferred "Enterprise" to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

Transferred from National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• • •

Quoting from Wikipedia | Space Shuttle Enterprise:

The Space Shuttle Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight.

Originally, Enterprise had been intended to be refitted for orbital flight, which would have made it the second space shuttle to fly after Columbia. However, during the construction of Columbia, details of the final design changed, particularly with regard to the weight of the fuselage and wings. Refitting Enterprise for spaceflight would have involved dismantling the orbiter and returning the sections to subcontractors across the country. As this was an expensive proposition, it was determined to be less costly to build Challenger around a body frame (STA-099) that had been created as a test article. Similarly, Enterprise was considered for refit to replace Challenger after the latter was destroyed, but Endeavour was built from structural spares instead.

Service

Construction began on the first orbiter on June 4, 1974. Designated OV-101, it was originally planned to be named Constitution and unveiled on Constitution Day, September 17, 1976. A write-in campaign by Trekkies to President Gerald Ford asked that the orbiter be named after the Starship Enterprise, featured on the television show Star Trek. Although Ford did not mention the campaign, the president—who during World War II had served on the aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) that served with USS Enterprise (CV-6)—said that he was "partial to the name" and overrode NASA officials.

The design of OV-101 was not the same as that planned for OV-102, the first flight model; the tail was constructed differently, and it did not have the interfaces to mount OMS pods. A large number of subsystems—ranging from main engines to radar equipment—were not installed on this vehicle, but the capacity to add them in the future was retained. Instead of a thermal protection system, its surface was primarily fiberglass.

In mid-1976, the orbiter was used for ground vibration tests, allowing engineers to compare data from an actual flight vehicle with theoretical models.

On September 17, 1976, Enterprise was rolled out of Rockwell’s plant at Palmdale, California. In recognition of its fictional namesake, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the principal cast of the original series of Star Trek were on hand at the dedication ceremony.

Approach and landing tests (ALT)

Main article: Approach and Landing Tests

On January 31, 1977, it was taken by road to Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, to begin operational testing.

While at NASA Dryden, Enterprise was used by NASA for a variety of ground and flight tests intended to validate aspects of the shuttle program. The initial nine-month testing period was referred to by the acronym ALT, for "Approach and Landing Test". These tests included a maiden "flight" on February 18, 1977 atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) to measure structural loads and ground handling and braking characteristics of the mated system. Ground tests of all orbiter subsystems were carried out to verify functionality prior to atmospheric flight.

The mated Enterprise/SCA combination was then subjected to five test flights with Enterprise unmanned and unactivated. The purpose of these test flights was to measure the flight characteristics of the mated combination. These tests were followed with three test flights with Enterprise manned to test the shuttle flight control systems.

Enterprise underwent five free flights where the craft separated from the SCA and was landed under astronaut control. These tests verified the flight characteristics of the orbiter design and were carried out under several aerodynamic and weight configurations. On the fifth and final glider flight, pilot-induced oscillation problems were revealed, which had to be addressed before the first orbital launch occurred.

On August 12, 1977, the space shuttle Enterprise flew on its own for the first time.

Preparation for STS-1

Following the ALT program, Enterprise was ferried among several NASA facilities to configure the craft for vibration testing. In June 1979, it was mated with an external tank and solid rocket boosters (known as a boilerplate configuration) and tested in a launch configuration at Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A.

Retirement

With the completion of critical testing, Enterprise was partially disassembled to allow certain components to be reused in other shuttles, then underwent an international tour visiting France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the U.S. states of California, Alabama, and Louisiana (during the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition). It was also used to fit-check the never-used shuttle launch pad at Vandenberg AFB, California. Finally, on November 18, 1985, Enterprise was ferried to Washington, D.C., where it became property of the Smithsonian Institution.

Post-Challenger

After the Challenger disaster, NASA considered using Enterprise as a replacement. However refitting the shuttle with all of the necessary equipment needed for it to be used in space was considered, but instead it was decided to use spares constructed at the same time as Discovery and Atlantis to build Endeavour.

Post-Columbia

In 2003, after the breakup of Columbia during re-entry, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board conducted tests at Southwest Research Institute, which used an air gun to shoot foam blocks of similar size, mass and speed to that which struck Columbia at a test structure which mechanically replicated the orbiter wing leading edge. They removed a fiberglass panel from Enterprise’s wing to perform analysis of the material and attached it to the test structure, then shot a foam block at it. While the panel was not broken as a result of the test, the impact was enough to permanently deform a seal. As the reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panel on Columbia was 2.5 times weaker, this suggested that the RCC leading edge would have been shattered. Additional tests on the fiberglass were canceled in order not to risk damaging the test apparatus, and a panel from Discovery was tested to determine the effects of the foam on a similarly-aged RCC leading edge. On July 7, 2003, a foam impact test created a hole 41 cm by 42.5 cm (16.1 inches by 16.7 inches) in the protective RCC panel. The tests clearly demonstrated that a foam impact of the type Columbia sustained could seriously breach the protective RCC panels on the wing leading edge.

The board determined that the probable cause of the accident was that the foam impact caused a breach of a reinforced carbon-carbon panel along the leading edge of Columbia’s left wing, allowing hot gases generated during re-entry to enter the wing and cause structural collapse. This caused Columbia to spin out of control, breaking up with the loss of the entire crew.

Museum exhibit

Enterprise was stored at the Smithsonian’s hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport before it was restored and moved to the newly built Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum‘s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it has been the centerpiece of the space collection. On April 12, 2011, NASA announced that Space Shuttle Discovery, the most traveled orbiter in the fleet, will be added to the collection once the Shuttle fleet is retired. When that happens, Enterprise will be moved to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, to a newly constructed hangar adjacent to the museum. In preparation for the anticipated relocation, engineers evaluated the vehicle in early 2010 and determined that it was safe to fly on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft once again.

Aerospace medicine is a medical field dedicated to treating patients who suffer health issues caused by being in an aerospace environment. This field also has the goal of preventing any problems that can be caused by air travel.

When looking for trusted Aerospace medicine specialists, Honolulu has several doctors who offer such services. Such doctors offer Aeromedical Examinations, which include screenings for serious health conditions that could be dangerous during flight. Such problems may include a tendency toward myocardial infarction, or heart attack; epilepsy; lung disease; or, diabetes. These professionals may also test pilots for color blindness, because if a pilot cannot distinguish colors, it may be impossible to perform a certain task while flying.

Many times while flying, a passenger may complain of intense ear pain. This is caused by the unequal pressure that develops on each side of the eardrum as the plane is descending. Most of the time, this problem can be treated simply by sucking on a piece of candy or chewing a piece of gum during flight. But for some, the pain doesn’t go away even after having landed. In this case, it is wise for such ones to seek the help of a doctor who will analyze the symptoms experienced and prescribe the medicine needed, which in many cases is an antibiotic.

If one already has a cold or sinus infection before traveling by airplane, the traveler will want to put off the flight if possible, as the symptoms will only get worse during travel. If traveling is unavoidable, the help of an aviation doctor should be sought beforehand. The doctor will analyze the health situation, and prescribe the needed treatment, such as a decongestant; or in the case of a sinus infection, an antibiotic.

Through careful research, aerospace health professionals have also created a G-suit, for pilots who fly fighter planes. These G-suits are needed because as a fighter plane rapidly ascends, the blood of the pilot or passenger concentrates in the feet and legs. Thus, in some cases, a sufficient amount of blood cannot be pumped to the brain, resulting in immediate unconsciousness. The G-suit is basically a special pair of pants that causes the blood not to concentrate only in the legs, but to flow up toward the heart so the pilot can maintain good blood circulation.

Aerospace professionals dedicated to space medicine have found that a lack of gravity often produces negative effects, such as disorientation and motion sickness. Such doctors ensure that the astronauts are equipped with the necessary medicines for such situations before takeoff.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information about aerospace medicine specialists honolulu, please visit http://www.lifescript.com/.

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Aerospace Medicine - Essential For Passengers And Pilots Alike

Keeping Aerospace Businesses Competitive With As9120

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Space Shuttle Enterprise


Image by Chris Devers
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Space Shuttle Enterprise:

Manufacturer:
Rockwell International Corporation

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Overall: 57 ft. tall x 122 ft. long x 78 ft. wing span, 150,000 lb.

(1737.36 x 3718.57 x 2377.44cm, 68039.6kg)

Materials:

Aluminum airframe and body with some fiberglass features; payload bay doors are graphite epoxy composite; thermal tiles are simulated (polyurethane foam) except for test samples of actual tiles and thermal blankets.

The first Space Shuttle orbiter, "Enterprise," is a full-scale test vehicle used for flights in the atmosphere and tests on the ground; it is not equipped for spaceflight. Although the airframe and flight control elements are like those of the Shuttles flown in space, this vehicle has no propulsion system and only simulated thermal tiles because these features were not needed for atmospheric and ground tests. "Enterprise" was rolled out at Rockwell International’s assembly facility in Palmdale, California, in 1976. In 1977, it entered service for a nine-month-long approach-and-landing test flight program. Thereafter it was used for vibration tests and fit checks at NASA centers, and it also appeared in the 1983 Paris Air Show and the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. In 1985, NASA transferred "Enterprise" to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

Transferred from National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• • •

Quoting from Wikipedia | Space Shuttle Enterprise:

The Space Shuttle Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight.

Originally, Enterprise had been intended to be refitted for orbital flight, which would have made it the second space shuttle to fly after Columbia. However, during the construction of Columbia, details of the final design changed, particularly with regard to the weight of the fuselage and wings. Refitting Enterprise for spaceflight would have involved dismantling the orbiter and returning the sections to subcontractors across the country. As this was an expensive proposition, it was determined to be less costly to build Challenger around a body frame (STA-099) that had been created as a test article. Similarly, Enterprise was considered for refit to replace Challenger after the latter was destroyed, but Endeavour was built from structural spares instead.

Service

Construction began on the first orbiter on June 4, 1974. Designated OV-101, it was originally planned to be named Constitution and unveiled on Constitution Day, September 17, 1976. A write-in campaign by Trekkies to President Gerald Ford asked that the orbiter be named after the Starship Enterprise, featured on the television show Star Trek. Although Ford did not mention the campaign, the president—who during World War II had served on the aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) that served with USS Enterprise (CV-6)—said that he was "partial to the name" and overrode NASA officials.

The design of OV-101 was not the same as that planned for OV-102, the first flight model; the tail was constructed differently, and it did not have the interfaces to mount OMS pods. A large number of subsystems—ranging from main engines to radar equipment—were not installed on this vehicle, but the capacity to add them in the future was retained. Instead of a thermal protection system, its surface was primarily fiberglass.

In mid-1976, the orbiter was used for ground vibration tests, allowing engineers to compare data from an actual flight vehicle with theoretical models.

On September 17, 1976, Enterprise was rolled out of Rockwell’s plant at Palmdale, California. In recognition of its fictional namesake, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the principal cast of the original series of Star Trek were on hand at the dedication ceremony.

Approach and landing tests (ALT)

Main article: Approach and Landing Tests

On January 31, 1977, it was taken by road to Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, to begin operational testing.

While at NASA Dryden, Enterprise was used by NASA for a variety of ground and flight tests intended to validate aspects of the shuttle program. The initial nine-month testing period was referred to by the acronym ALT, for "Approach and Landing Test". These tests included a maiden "flight" on February 18, 1977 atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) to measure structural loads and ground handling and braking characteristics of the mated system. Ground tests of all orbiter subsystems were carried out to verify functionality prior to atmospheric flight.

The mated Enterprise/SCA combination was then subjected to five test flights with Enterprise unmanned and unactivated. The purpose of these test flights was to measure the flight characteristics of the mated combination. These tests were followed with three test flights with Enterprise manned to test the shuttle flight control systems.

Enterprise underwent five free flights where the craft separated from the SCA and was landed under astronaut control. These tests verified the flight characteristics of the orbiter design and were carried out under several aerodynamic and weight configurations. On the fifth and final glider flight, pilot-induced oscillation problems were revealed, which had to be addressed before the first orbital launch occurred.

On August 12, 1977, the space shuttle Enterprise flew on its own for the first time.

Preparation for STS-1

Following the ALT program, Enterprise was ferried among several NASA facilities to configure the craft for vibration testing. In June 1979, it was mated with an external tank and solid rocket boosters (known as a boilerplate configuration) and tested in a launch configuration at Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A.

Retirement

With the completion of critical testing, Enterprise was partially disassembled to allow certain components to be reused in other shuttles, then underwent an international tour visiting France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the U.S. states of California, Alabama, and Louisiana (during the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition). It was also used to fit-check the never-used shuttle launch pad at Vandenberg AFB, California. Finally, on November 18, 1985, Enterprise was ferried to Washington, D.C., where it became property of the Smithsonian Institution.

Post-Challenger

After the Challenger disaster, NASA considered using Enterprise as a replacement. However refitting the shuttle with all of the necessary equipment needed for it to be used in space was considered, but instead it was decided to use spares constructed at the same time as Discovery and Atlantis to build Endeavour.

Post-Columbia

In 2003, after the breakup of Columbia during re-entry, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board conducted tests at Southwest Research Institute, which used an air gun to shoot foam blocks of similar size, mass and speed to that which struck Columbia at a test structure which mechanically replicated the orbiter wing leading edge. They removed a fiberglass panel from Enterprise’s wing to perform analysis of the material and attached it to the test structure, then shot a foam block at it. While the panel was not broken as a result of the test, the impact was enough to permanently deform a seal. As the reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panel on Columbia was 2.5 times weaker, this suggested that the RCC leading edge would have been shattered. Additional tests on the fiberglass were canceled in order not to risk damaging the test apparatus, and a panel from Discovery was tested to determine the effects of the foam on a similarly-aged RCC leading edge. On July 7, 2003, a foam impact test created a hole 41 cm by 42.5 cm (16.1 inches by 16.7 inches) in the protective RCC panel. The tests clearly demonstrated that a foam impact of the type Columbia sustained could seriously breach the protective RCC panels on the wing leading edge.

The board determined that the probable cause of the accident was that the foam impact caused a breach of a reinforced carbon-carbon panel along the leading edge of Columbia’s left wing, allowing hot gases generated during re-entry to enter the wing and cause structural collapse. This caused Columbia to spin out of control, breaking up with the loss of the entire crew.

Museum exhibit

Enterprise was stored at the Smithsonian’s hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport before it was restored and moved to the newly built Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum‘s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it has been the centerpiece of the space collection. On April 12, 2011, NASA announced that Space Shuttle Discovery, the most traveled orbiter in the fleet, will be added to the collection once the Shuttle fleet is retired. When that happens, Enterprise will be moved to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, to a newly constructed hangar adjacent to the museum. In preparation for the anticipated relocation, engineers evaluated the vehicle in early 2010 and determined that it was safe to fly on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft once again.

Because of the high demand for quality of products used in the aerospace industry, most customers or organizations belonging to the industry refuse to conduct business with aerospace companies that do not produce airworthy products. This is why aerospace manufacturers and distributors have to find a way to prove that their company products are of excellent quality to attract more potential clients.

For aerospace manufacturers and distributors, the AS9120 standard is just what they need. A document containing Quality Management System requirements specifically geared towards businesses in the aerospace industry, the standard is actually based on the AS9100 Standard. However, there are more than a hundred extra requirements exclusive to ensure that components such as radios, bolts, screws, and other aerospace products that come from manufacturers and distributors are durable and safe enough for use in aerospace operations. The standard aims to optimize accessibility of information regarding aerospace business functions.

However, not all companies belonging to the aerospace industry are required to meet the standards set by AS9120. It only applies to manufacturers and distributors of aerospace products. These companies include businesses specializing in procurement and redistribution of aerospace products.

There are some aerospace companies that do not have to use the AS9120 standard. For example, companies that modify finished aerospace products should keep AS9100 standard, as their operation directly affects the performance and characteristics of a certain product. Even value added distributors are exempted from the standard since they change the product in a customer-product sense.

By getting official AS9120 certification, an aerospace manufacturer or distributor effectively presents itself to more business opportunities because of guaranteed product quality and reduced risks. Since the management is transformed to optimize a companys growth potential, overall product output is increased, therefore improving profitability.

Because aerospace clients and organizations will be able to tell that a company meets their standards, any business with AS9120 certification has a better chance of having regular clients and business deals. The standard enhances a companys image, making it a better choice for future clients in the industry, as well as establishing its position as a company that can always keep up with the demands.

Learn what were all about at www.ISARegistrar.com.

Benefits Of Selling Aerospace Technology Overseas

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: south hangar panorama, including B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay”, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, among others


Image by Chris Devers
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy | Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay":

Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theater, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons.

On August 6, 1945, this Martin-built B-29-45-MO dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, Bockscar (on display at the U.S. Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio) dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B-29, The Great Artiste, flew as an observation aircraft on both missions.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Boeing Aircraft Co.
Martin Co., Omaha, Nebr.

Date:

1945

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Overall: 900 x 3020cm, 32580kg, 4300cm (29ft 6 5/16in. x 99ft 1in., 71825.9lb., 141ft 15/16in.)

Materials:

Polished overall aluminum finish

Physical Description:

Four-engine heavy bomber with semi-monoqoque fuselage and high-aspect ratio wings. Polished aluminum finish overall, standard late-World War II Army Air Forces insignia on wings and aft fuselage and serial number on vertical fin; 509th Composite Group markings painted in black; "Enola Gay" in black, block letters on lower left nose.

• • • • •

See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy | Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat:

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was originally conceived as an advanced version of the U.S. Navy’s then current front-line fighter, the F4F Wildcat (see NASM collection). The Wildcat’s intended replacement, the Vought F4U Corsair (see NASM collection), first flown in 1940, was showing great promise, but development was slowed by problems, including the crash of the prototype.

The National Air and Space Museum’s F6F-3 Hellcat, BuNo. 41834, was built at Grumman’s Bethpage, New York, factory in February 1944 under contract NOA-(S)846. It was delivered to the Navy on February 7, and arrived in San Diego, California, on the 18th. It was assigned to Fighter Squadron 15 (VF-15) on USS Hornet (CV12) bound for Hawaii. On arrival, it was assigned to VF-3 where it sustained damage in a wheels-up landing at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii. After repair, it was assigned to VF-83 where it was used in a training role until February 21, 1945. After numerous transfers 41834 was converted to an F6F-3K target drone with the installation of sophisticated radio-control equipment. It was painted red with a pink tail that carried the number 14. Its mission was to be used in Operation Crossroads – the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. It flew on June 24, 1946, with a pilot, on a practice flight and was launched, unmanned, soon after the first bomb test. Instrumentation on board and photographic plates taped to the control stick obtained data on radioactivity. Three more manned flights preceded the final unmanned flight on July 25, 1946, which evaluated the first underwater explosion. Records indicate that exposure of this aircraft to the radioactive cloud was minimal and residual radiation is negligible.

F6F-3K 41834 was transferred to NAS Norfolk and logged its last flight on March 25, 1947, with a total of 430.2 flying hours. It was assigned to the National Air Museum on November 3, 1948, and remained at Norfolk until October 4, 1960, when it was moved by barge to Washington and placed in storage. In 1976 this Hellcat was loaned to the USS Yorktown Museum at Charleston, South Carolina. A superficial restoration was performed at the museum, but because of the harsh environment and its poor condition the Hellcat was returned to NASM on March 16, 1982. In 1983, it was sent to Grumman Aerospace where a team of volunteers completely restored the aircraft. In 1985, it was shipped back to the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland, and put in storage. NASM’s F6F-3 Hellcat is scheduled to be displayed in the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in 2004.

Transferred from the United States Navy.

Manufacturer:
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

Date:

1943

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Overall: 338 x 1021cm, 4092kg, 1304cm (11ft 1 1/16in. x 33ft 5 15/16in., 9021.2lb., 42ft 9 3/8in.)

Physical Description:

Heavy armor plate, reinforced empennage, R-2800-10W engine, spring tabs on the ailerons (increased maneuverability), could carry rockets as well as bombs.

As a cash-strapped nation recovers from the effects of the recent, devastating economic hardships, more and more businesses have started advocating the need to turn to overseas exportation of their products. While this includes common commercial and agricultural products, another important product is domestically produced technology; a perfect example of this is aerospace technology. After all, the United States is foremost in aerospace technology, and this would immediately put it ahead in the market.

One party that will benefit from the proposal to sell aerospace technology overseas would be the aerospace technicians and engineers who found themselves out of jobs, as the economic crisis prompted aeronautical companies to lay off numerous employees to help stay afloat. Selling aerospace technology will definitely revitalize the aerospace industry, which will lead to more jobs and thus inject more money into the economy.

The creation of an even larger export market for aerospace technology will also help gain new interest in the field. This would greatly accelerate aerospace research for new developments and help pave the way for a new aerospace renaissance. The selling of aerospace technology would also help spread aerospace development all over the world, which would benefit humankind as a whole.

Actually, the concept of selling aerospace technology overseas is not a new one. Companies today sell different pieces of aerospace technology, such as plane parts, to different countries all over the world. Even by-products of the development of aerospace technology can turn quite a profit when integrated elsewhere. Certain materials, developed for use in planes and space vehicles, transform industries when used in the manufacture of more terrestrial products. However, the express selling of aerospace technology overseas is restricted by certain laws.

U.S. export laws are quite specific in regulating the import and export of aerospace technology. They are even stricter when it comes to selling any piece of technology overseas. Current U.S. laws actually treat any foreign national who gains access to controlled technologies as a company engaged in the export of technology to foreign markets. When dealing with technological exports, one has to go to the Bureau of Industry and Security under the Department of Commerce. This bureau controls the import and export of technological products. Here, one will classify the type of technological item being exported or sold to a foreign market. Export controlled items are those with actual or potential military applications or economic protection issues, and aerospace technology certainly has those.

In order for there to be a clear path for the selling of aerospace technology overseas, businesses need to engage with specialists in the field of overseas exporting. The legislation governing the export of technology was put in place by the State Department for the security of the United States, and export firms understand this. Today, the Bureau of Industry and Security can actually grant licenses to individuals or foreign industries who wish to import controlled technology. It is just a matter of classifying the specific technology being exported and detailing its intended use.

Elymat Industries Inc. is a professional export outsourcing company. Serving the Military Aerospace Industry for 35 years, we specialize in obtaining US State Department and Commerce Department licenses to ship these products overseas.http://www.elymat.com/

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Benefits Of Selling Aerospace Technology Overseas

Memex Automation OEE Solution Discussed in Aerospace Engineering and Manufacturing

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: View of south hangar, including B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay”, a glimpse of the Air France Concorde, and many others


Image by Chris Devers

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay":

Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theater, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons.

On August 6, 1945, this Martin-built B-29-45-MO dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, Bockscar (on display at the U.S. Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio) dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B-29, The Great Artiste, flew as an observation aircraft on both missions.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Boeing Aircraft Co.
Martin Co., Omaha, Nebr.

Date:

1945

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Overall: 900 x 3020cm, 32580kg, 4300cm (29ft 6 5/16in. x 99ft 1in., 71825.9lb., 141ft 15/16in.)

Materials:

Polished overall aluminum finish

Physical Description:

Four-engine heavy bomber with semi-monoqoque fuselage and high-aspect ratio wings. Polished aluminum finish overall, standard late-World War II Army Air Forces insignia on wings and aft fuselage and serial number on vertical fin; 509th Composite Group markings painted in black; "Enola Gay" in black, block letters on lower left nose.

According to a recent issue of Aerospace Engineering and Manufacturing, “Tough-minded offshore competitors, currency swings, trade disputes, and customer balance sheet fluctuations created by anything from the financial crisis to Icelandic volcanic activity are just a few of the external factors that can determine success or failure for the North American manufacturing industry.”

 

The Memex Automation Mx2000 Machine Interface handheld device is connected to the machine control panel and to the Ax9150 UMI for OEE Machine Monitoring (physically located inside the panel). This Memex Automation structure allows signals to be picked up automatically from the machine, eliminating operator input as much as possible, but if the operator needs to enter information, the operator has that ability as well.

 

 

Inside the factory walls, all that matters is productivity.

 

“The cost of raw materials is essentially the same for all machined part manufacturers, and the cost of capital equipment is about the same,” said Sébastien Caron, Plant Manager for Héroux-Devtek Inc. “Even quality is becoming much the same. So our biggest differentiator is productivity.”

 

Héroux-Devtek manufactures aircraft landing gear, aerostructures, and industrial components in 10 locations across North America. Like most manufacturing headquarters, the Longueuil, Québec, head office is a paragon of computerized productivity. Centralized, Internet-driven networks control flows of information via enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, accounting systems, and communications systems that help run the company.

 

Until teaming up with Burlington, Ontario-based Memex Automation, it was a different story on the factory floor. Individual machine tools were highly automated, but as in many manufacturing operations they remained islands of unconnected information—like having a group of office PCs, each with a different software application, unconnected by a Local Area Network, and unable to communicate with each other.

 

The company decided to change that. In 2007, it initiated a companywide mandate to look at overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) devices that automatically track machine utilization. With a mechanical engineering and project management background, as well as experience working in several of Héroux-Devtek’s manufacturing sites, Caron was put in charge of the project.

 

“I knew that there were other Héroux-Devtek sites looking at OEE devices to track machine utilization,” he said. “Many of our plants were working towards individual implementations. Some sites were ahead, other sites had not started at all. We realized that it would be beneficial to have a common OEE platform for all sites. After talking to all our plant managers, we decided on a common approach. Dedicated individuals from each site worked in collaboration to successfully implement the Memex product, taking into account their specific operational environments.

 

About Memex Automation Inc.

 

Memex Automation Inc., http://www.memex.ca, a unit of Astrix Networks Inc., was created to leverage the research and development of Memex Electronics, which was founded in 1992. Memex continues its tradition of serving the discrete manufacturing sector, supplying component hardware, memory upgrades, and visionary shop floor communication technology. Memex Automation products are “Automating the Automation” allowing a manufacturer to increase productivity and decrease costs. Memex Automation focuses on delivering value with Real-Time Machine Monitoring and Control, which utilizes OEE+DNC solutions that boost efficiency by up to fifty percent with minimal capital investment. Memex Automation is based in Burlington, Ontario.

 

 

 

Memex, Inc.

www.memex.ca

John Rattray

jrattray@astrixnet.com

1-866-573-3895

 

Professional Marketing Firm for the Manufacturing Community.  Manufacturing Journalist or Contributing Journalist for many manufacturing magazines and journals.  Founder of the Media Consortium and media blitz.

Memex Automation OEE Solution Discussed in Aerospace Engineering and Manufacturing

Can You Use More Information On Aerospace Components?

Manufacturing aerospace components is not easy. It requires the right technology and the necessary skills. Depending on the application and the materials used, the process for manufacturing aircraft parts vary.

One common method is the CNC machining part. In this method, the material used to make the aerospace parts is plastic. The CNC machine is used to cut out a piece of material from the entire work piece. Many kinds of CNC machines are used.

In CNC turning, the part is revolved around a lathe and is cut by a device that moves along. In CNC milling, the rotating cutter does the job of cutting the piece. There is also the Jig boring, which is a type of high-precision vertical milling. If pulling or pushing a cutter is involved, broaching is what you call the process. The broach is a linear cutting tool having many teeth.

All the machines today are controlled by a computer which feeds on a tape fit for a specific part. This machine saves time and makes possible swift machining of shapes that are complex and previously done by forging, casting and assemblage of many parts.

The Sheet metal spinning is another process of manufacturing aerospace components. Sheet metal spinning is already called ancient. Its counterpart today is flow turning. In flow turning, the work piece, such as a flat disc, is forced by rollers controlled by computer to shape around a mandrel.

A mandrel is a revolving die located on the center of the rollers. With this method, it is possible to produce shapes like conical or cylindrical with no joint.

In aerospace grinding, the cutting of parts is initiated by millions of very hard particles which are projected in a microscope from the surface of a drum or a wheel. There is also called electrolytic grinding which has the wheel powered by electricity. Here, the work piece is submerged into a container filled with electrolyte.

The revolving wheel does not make contact with the work piece, but definitely eradicates the small particles by electrochemical reaction. Then, the revolving wheel takes out the by-products which hinder the reaction.

Aerospace pressings are among the traditional techniques of shaping aircraft parts. In this process, the parts are shaped from sheet metal. To do this, the high-strength metals such as the ones used in gas turbines are pressed at high temperature. During this time, the metal warps, springs back, twists or deforms, and thus, handwork is needed to make the appropriate shape.

One type of isothermal presswork that is done is using heated dies of ceramic and of metal as they continuously produce correct stress-free shapes. There is also the process of hot blow forming to achieve better by products. Here, the sheet metal is forced into a die at high argon pressure using microprocessor control to keep the proper strain-rate. The argon is among the inert gases that never reacts with metals even in their melted state.

Certainly, with today’s modern technology, it is possible to create shapes that best fit aerospace components.

At Tamshell we create and manufacturer Precision aerospace components. With our state of the art equipment, we can make any kind of plastic part that you need. We work with any kind of plastic you have in mind to create aerospace or medical parts. Go to http://www.tamshell.com and review our abilities.

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Feature Space Of 50 Years In China: Reform And Opening Toward The World - Aerospace, Satellite -

Private Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV Gulfstream IV N68AL cn 1198


Image by Clément Alloing – CAphotography

50 to 60 late early graduate students, still remember, had been assigned to the aerospace sector as a “legend” experience. Because key state secret unit, the space sector for graduates is to meet the political and the most value, clean background, outstanding performance is the primary condition of the political. Of course, academic performance can not be vague. Even more odd is that what is being done to friends, family, secrecy, and even wrote a letter to his family, only mail, no address.

In the planned economy system, in the bipolar world structure, China’s space industry as an important component of national defense industry, has been the strong support of the country. At that time, cooperation in space most of the pride the Chinese model. However, when the history into the late 70s of last century, as China’s reform and opening up access to peaceful development, China’s aerospace industry out of the closed to the world, also started the “pain” of the transition?? Planned economy This tree is gone, the face of market economy, the burning sun, the Chinese space no choice.

From the national ministries and commissions to large state-owned enterprises

Reform and opening up China’s aerospace industry with the name change, steps towards growing. April 9, 1982, followed for 18 years, “the seventh Machinery Industry Ministry,” the name of the management and development of China’s space industry sectors, the implementation of the state organs at the central system and become a Space Industry. Do not see it as only a name change. China’s space industry structure and mechanism of the revolution is started from this tiny office. October 26, 1985, the Department of Space on behalf of the Chinese government solemnly declared: China will develop its own long march with a series of rockets into the world space launch market. The move is China’s aerospace industry into the market, especially in international markets as an important signal.

If, from the Ministry of seven aircraft to the Department of Space is only the natural history of evolution, then the change from the Space Department of the process for the Aerospace Industry Corporation, should be seen as a planned economy to a market economy transition. As just the beginning of restructuring, Aerospace Industry Corporation and China National Space Administration, or a department, two brands. Although the name of point of view, this reform is the management and development of China’s aerospace industry from the national ministries and departments to large state-owned enterprises, but in fact, the shadow of the national ministries and commissions also hidden among the head office system.

1998 5 7, and “China Aerospace Industry Corporation,” separation of the door plaque for 5 years either side of the “National Space Administration,” became a blank plaque Department. It is said that the delisting day ceremony attracted many people. Abstract solemn commemorative plaque is very simple, a total of not a few minutes, but armed police carried the “National Space Council” plaque to leave the back, gave many people at the scene left a very deep impression.

With the National Space Agency of the brand from Beijing, Fu Cheng Road, on the 8th hospital main entrance of the “left”, the Chinese began to truly advance the enterprise space path.

Forward to world-class aerospace companies 2005, the CASC party complete the “Eleventh Five-Year” plan of development. Determine the “Eleventh Five-Year” development “four new”, that focus on new targets, the construction of new space, new achievements, new leap forward.

That “four new” proposed, reflects the casting world-class aerospace group’s goal has become increasingly clear. In fact, with the acceleration of the pace of reform, the company has undergone significant internal changes.

Occurred in China Academy of Space Technology is a small story to illustrate this point. In 1997, Zhong-Wen 501 from the hospital after the resignation to the vice president of a well-known Internet companies. Resignation, he was the Deputy Director of Research by the antennas. In 2000, he went to Canada, soon found work in a listed company, and served as project leader positions. Two years later, a chance, he met China’s space technology research vice president of the Qiang, and that have taken place in China’s space is not small change. After careful thought, Zhong-Wen Department of determinedly back to the hospital design, which is the original 501. After returning home, he found that the treatment of aerospace companies, compared with some foreign enterprises have been no significant difference, more importantly, for the space a sense of achievement is paramount. After returning home, he took only 4 months time, it opened in the field of broadband multi-media situation, and received 6 million yuan of special topics relevant costs. Today, he is Deputy Minister of the Department of the hospital design.

The story is not one example in the group.

1999, the Chinese government on the defense industry has undergone major restructuring to adjust. It is in this reform, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation came into being.

2002, the group will work to establish a world-class aerospace companies to forward the goals and specialization, industrialization, the group, the construction of international strategy. This is a clear choice after the group size up the situation.

I am an expert from china-petroleum-equipment.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Oil pipe , Oilfield auxiliary equipment Manufacturer,

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Feature Space Of 50 Years In China: Reform And Opening Toward The World - Aerospace, Satellite -

Visiting Cascade Aerospace: The C130 Maintenance Facility

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event (201203080002HQ)


Image by NASA HQ PHOTO

NASA Deputy Administrator, Lori Garver, gives the keynote address at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women’s History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

On-site representatives hoping to catch a glimpse of the daily activities at Cascade Aerospace are in luck, the c130 maintenance specialists and industry leaders in aircraft fleet management, warmly welcome potential partners to visit the shop. The team at Cascade Aerospace is proud of their 230 000 square feet facility built in 2000. The Abbotsford BC located c130 maintenance centre is equipped with the tools and space to manage and maintain visiting Boeing, Lockheed Martin or Bombardier fleets.

Entry into Canada to Visit the c130 Maintenance Team

If an International [non-Canadian] on-site customer service representative would like to visit Cascade Aerospace, they can easily obtain a letter of invitation from Cascade. After the letter is received, the representative should carry it, in addition to their personal and company identification to the Canadian border. If a representative is coming on behalf of an American Company, enter through the Sumas border, for quick and close proximity to Cascade Aerospace. Cascade Aerospace will be happy to arrange accommodations for their International visitors, to ensure comfort and convenience, for their c130 maintenance centre visit.

What to Expect When Visiting the c 130 Maintenance Facilities

Cascade Aerospace is a dynamic, full service fleet management company. Visitors will be taken away by the sheer volume of comings and goings happening throughout the facility. In addition to c130 maintenance, the company will be busy with: program management, airworthiness tests, integrated logistics support, field service support and component repair and overhaul work. C130 maintenance, repair and overhaul can be witnessed in their facility. In addition to work at their shop, they also perform c130 maintenance on the Canadian Forces base in Trenton, Ontario.

The c130 Maintenance Team

While visiting Cascade, any guest will be guaranteed to run into many experts and specialists in the aerospace industry. The team at Cascade has reached over 500 people, and all of the staffs are chosen for their drive to guarantee whatever it takes to provide quality aircraft parts and services. A good portion of their employees have twenty to thirty years of aerospace industry experience. The management team has a combined one hundred years of combined experience. C130 maintenance, aircraft repair and fleet management, is in skilled hands at Cascade.

Area Attractions

Visiting Cascade to see the C130 maintenance facility, team and additional services and divisions, will be a memorable experience that an on-site representative will be excited to report back to their own home base. In between the visit and flying home, there are attractions to be seen in Abbotsford. If a visitor is coming all of the way to Abbotsford to see the c130 maintenance centre, then they would most likely be interested in catching the Abbotsford International Air Show in August. For a relaxing break the warm mineral waters of the Harrison Hot Springs or a look around one of the local Farmer’s Markets, is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Cascade is pleased to form new partnerships with other aerospace industry professionals. For more information on their c130 maintenance programs, fleet management or other aircraft programs visit, cascadeaerospace.

Cascade Aerospace Inc. is a dynamic, privately-held Canadian specialty aerospace and defence contractor focused on providing long-term integrated aircraft support programs for Original Equipment Manufacturers [OEMs], military, government and commercial customers. For more information please visit www.cascadeaerospace.com.

Visiting Cascade Aerospace: The C130 Maintenance Facility

Flight News On Sasols 100% Synthetic Jet A-1 fuel AT the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition In Cape Town. South Africa

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event (201203080003HQ)


Image by NASA HQ PHOTO

NASA Deputy Administrator, Lori Garver, far right, gives the keynote address at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women’s History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

SASOL, South Africa’s global, oil-from –coal pioneer, scored a major triumph at the AAD 2010 exhibition at the Ysterplaat Air Force Base, Cape Town, recently when the world’s first flights using its internationally approved, fully synthetic jet fuel, landed there soon after the gates to the exhibition area had opened.

The landmark flights to Ysterplaat took off a few hours earlier from both Lanseria International Airport, near Johannesburg, and Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, Nelspruit.

Involved in the historic operation were three National Airways Corporation turbine-powered aircraft-the flagship Hawker 4000 corporate jet, atop-of-the-range Beech craft King Air 350i and a PAC750 equipped with a state-of-the-art airborne surveillance system-and a chartered Boeing 737-200,all of which were the first aircraft to use Sasol’s 100% Synthetic Jet A-1.

This is the only fully synthetic fuel that is a true “drop-in” replacement for conventional jet fuel that is approved for commercial use in all types of turbine aircraft around the world. The Jet A-1 fuel that was used is made using Sasol’s proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technology that produces liquid fuel from coal at its Synfuels production plant in Secunda, South Africa.

Although the 100% synthetic Jet A-1 fuel is not yet commercially available, Sasol has supplied jet fuel since 1999 that is a 50:50 blend of synthetic and conventional ,crude-oil-derived JetA-1 fuel to the country’s main gateway, the OR Tambo International Airport, near Johannesburg.

The flights to the AAD exhibition using the 100% synthetic jet fuel were the culmination of a complex process that resulted in Sasol receiving the worlds first formal approval of a fully synthetic jet fuel published in Issue 6 of the Defence Standard 91-91 in April 2008, followed soon after by the inclusion in the USA jet fuel specification ASTM D1655.

Sasol is an integrated energy and chemicals company operating predominantly in South Africa ,where its history dates back to its establishment in 1950.Sasol currently has operations in 38 countries, employs about 34000 people, and is listed on both the Johannesburg and New York stock exchanges.

Technology is core to Sasol and, through its proprietary Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology; Sasol converts coal and natural gas into liquid fuels, fuel components and chemicals. Sasol has chemical manufacturing and marketing operations in South Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and it mines coal in South Africa, extracts gas in Mozambique and oil in Gabon.

Pioneering Alternative Jet Fuels

Although Sasol focused primarily on the production of chemicals, road transportation fuels and the jet fuel from crude oil in the first four decades of its existence, a prediction in the mid-1990s of an imminent shortage of jet fuel at what is now the OR Tambo International Airport prompted Sasol to investigate opportunities for the production and qualification of synthetic jet fuel.

Road transportation fuels specifications are allowed to vary from one region to another, but the development of a viable alternative fuel for aviation application requires a drop-in replacement fuel with global acceptance and approval by all the international stakeholders.

In June 1996, Sasol embarked on discussions with international specification authorities, including the American Society for Testing and Materials(ASTM) and the British Ministry of Defence (UK MoD) .Between 1996 and 1998 ,Sasol conducted extensive laboratory and engine test work in South Africa and the USA to gain understanding ,acceptance, and demonstration of the use of an FT-derived  synthetic jet fuel component up to a maximum of 50 volume percentage when blended with crude  oil-derived jet fuel.

In April 1998, Sasol became the first company in the world to gain approval for the commercial use of a synthetic jet fuel component at up to 50% in a blend with petroleum kerosene as Jet A-1 .This approval for the use of iso-paraffinic kerosene (IPK), produced by the Sasol Synfuels facility in Secunda, was written into the UK MoDs Defence Standard (DEFSTAN 91-91),Issue 3.On February22,1999,Sasol made  history by certifying the first batch of Sasol semi-synthetic jet fuel at the Natref refinery in Sasolburg, and since then, most aircraft leaving OT Tambo International Airport have flown on Sasol’s semi-synthetic jet fuel.

100% Synthetic Jet Fuel

Between 2001 and 2007, Sasol continued with extensive test work on blends of potential jet fuel streams from its synfuels facility with the aim of gaining official qualification of a fully synthetic jet fuel. In support of this objective, the prestigious Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, Texas, was commissioned and a joint research report was submitted to the UK MoD in December 2003 with a request to approve the use of fully synthetic jet fuel as a commercial aviation turbine fuel.

The major engine manufacturers required further engine tests, including an endurance test on a Pratt & Whitney JT-9D engine, to be performed before final approval could be given. The 250-hour endurance test, conducted in February 2006 at the engine overhaul facilities of South African Airways in Johannesburg, necessitated the special production of 1, 2-million litres of synthetic jet fuel in Secunda.

Finally, in April 2008, the formal approval of Sasol fully synthetic jet fuel from the Synfuels plant in Secunda was published in Issue 6 of the Defence Standard 91-91.

Following shortly afterwards, Sasol’s fully synthetic jet fuel was also included in the USA jet fuel specification, ASTM D1655.Sasols 100% synthetic Jet A-1 from Synfuels was thus approved for commercial use in all types of turbine aircraft in the USA (ASTM D1655) and the rest of the world (DEFSTAN 91-91), and it remains on this day the only fully synthetic fuel that is a true drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel.

The fuel is fully fungible and aligned with the current aviation infrastructure .It is compatible with existing jet engine requirements and can be used with conventional crude oil-derived jet fuelling systems.

Synthetic Jet A-1 Production

Sasol Synfuels is based in Secunda where it operates the world’s only commercial, coal-based, synthetic fuels manufacturing facility. A high temperature Fischer-Tropsch (HTFT) process, utilizing the unique Sasol Advanced Synthol technology, converts low-grade coal into fuel (LPG, petrol, kerosene and diesel) as well as chemicals .The coal-to-liquids (CTL) plant in Secunda produces approximately 160000 barrels per day of FischerTropsch Products.

This facility uses the Sasol, fixed bed, dry bottom (FBDB) gasification process to convert the coal into synthesis gas. The Fischer-Tropsch process is catalyzed, chemical reaction in which the synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, is converted into liquid hydrocarbons of various forms (synthetic fuel).

The Fischer-Tropsch process can proceed through low temperature fischer-Tropsch (LTFT) or HTFT technology, with the main differences between the two processes being the operation parameters, reactor type, product spectrum and catalyst type.

The range of possible feed materials for the Sasol Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process are firstly, coal (coal-to-liquids, CTL), secondly, natural gas (gas-to-liquids, GTL) or biomass (biomass-to-liquids, BTL).These feed stocks can also be used in combination as is done at the Synfuels’ plant in Secunda where coal and natural; gas have been used together as feedstock since 2003 when pipeline bringing natural gas from Mozambique to Secunda was commissioned.

Five separate hydrocarbon streams in the Synfuels complex, as stipulated in Issue 6 of DEFSTAN 91-91, have been qualified for use in blending 100% Synthetic Jet A-1 .The product that was used in the first demonstration flights last month was blended from two of these streams. These were iso-paraffinic kerosene, which is also used routinely in the semi-synthetic blends supplied to the OR Tambo International Airport, and an aromatics-containing stream derived from severely hydro-treated coal tar kerosene.

It is the latter stream that contributes the required minimum of 8% aromatics and provides the high density and elastomeric seal swell properties to make the synthetic jet A-1 seamlessly compatible with conventional crude oil-derived jet A-1 . A part from the clean-burning nature of the synthetic jet fuel, leading to lower emissions than from conventional Jet A-1, the synthetic product has been shown to contain significantly better thermal and oxidative stability properties than normal jet fuels. This could enable the development of more efficient engines, running at higher temperatures than at present.

Alternative Jet Fuel Developments

Based on the two pioneering Sasol-specific synthetic jet fuel international approvals mentioned above, and with the worldwide drive to qualify alternative jet fuel for commercial use, the need for a generic approval protocol and specification for alternative jet fuel was identified by the aviation community.

The approval process and qualification protocol that was developed by the industry during Sasol’s seven-year quest to qualify 100% synthetic jet fuel became the benchmark for any future alternative fuel. It was subsequently formalized and adopted by the ASTM as specification D4054 “Standard Practice for Qualification and Approval of New Aviation Turbine Fuels and Fuel Additives”.

During the first generic approval process, five blends of individual Fischer-Tropsch-derived synthetic paraffinic kerosenes, blended with crude oil derived jet A, Jet A-1 or JP-8 fuel to produce semi-synthetic jet fuel, were evaluated. Sasol provided three of the synthetic kerosene samples while the other synthetic products were provided by Shell and Syntroleum.

A report prepared for the coordination Research Council in September 2008 concluded that semi-synthetic jet fuel containing up to a maximum of 50% volume of synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from synthesis gas via the FT processes, complying with specified properties, would be fit for purpose. This was further validated by eleven years of commercial operation on Sasol semi-synthetic jet fuel using its iso-paraffinic kerosene.

In September 2009, a new ASTM specification D7566 (aviation turbine fuel containing synthesized hydrocarbons) was approved. This means that synthetic, FT-derived jet fuel component from any CTL or GTL plant can be blended up to a maximum of 50% of volume in crude oil derived jet fuel-this marked the first generic approval for a jet fuel component, independent of the production facility, based on the Sasol-developed protocol.

Looking Ahead

Sasol has actively participated in changing the jet fuel landscape and pioneering the way for the approval and use of viable alternative fuels. This also opened up opportunities for Sasol to include kerosene in its product offering to the international market from future GTL and CTL Plants.

The approval of synthetic jet fuel without aromatics, as is the case with LTFT jet fuel, is under investigation by the international aircraft industry, and Sasol is part of this initiative. The challenge is the legacy aircraft still in use that need aromatics to ensure elastomeric seal swell, thereby enabling the proper functioning of fuel system.

New and future aircraft are designed to handle fuel without aromatics. The generic qualification of synthesized aromatics as a jet fuel component is currently being pursued to enable fully synthetic LTFT jet fuel in the interim.

A further aspect that is currently receiving more and more research focus is the development of pathways to increase the renewable carbon content of jet fuels, in order to help the aviation industry with the reduction of its carbon footprint.

Given the pioneering role that Sasol has played thus far in alternative aviation fuels and with an increased international focus on all synthetic jet fuels including FT-based synthetic Jet Fuels, this aviation fuels area is exciting place to be.

Anthony Juma is the Editor  and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation. 

This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Flight News on Sasol’s Synthetic 100% Jet A-1 Fuel  Which Triumphed At AAD 2010 Show in Cape Town, South Africa. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http:// /www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/flight-news.htmll

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Flight News On Sasols 100% Synthetic Jet A-1 fuel AT the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition In Cape Town. South Africa

System for rapid manufacturing of replacement aerospace parts

Method for the rapid manufacturing of aerospace replacement parts 100 is provided, including removing an in-service aerospace part from an aerospace system 120. The present invention further includes placing the in-service aerospace part into a three-dimensional scanning device 130.

The invention then scans the in-service aerospace part utilizing the three-dimensional scanning device to develop a three-dimensional scan 140. A computer-aided-design model is then developed based on the three-dimensional scan 150. The invention then direct metal fabricates a replacement aerospace part from the computer-aided-design model utilizing layer-build technology device 170. Finally the replacement aerospace part is installed back into the aerospace system 180.

Aerospace and military applications often provide unique challenges to design and manufacturing. The nature of these applications often requires limited run and small-lot productions that result in high cost because of the small quantity of individualized assemblies. Part cost can be extremely expensive due to the cost of tooling and long lead-time associated with developing and fabricating the tooling. If these costs are associated with initial build, they are even more prevalent in dealing with replacement parts for aging aircraft and military applications.

Replacement parts for aging aircraft and other systems commonly arise where the tooling that produced the original parts is no longer in existence. Additionally, the parts “as designed” may not in fact interface correctly into the existing systems. When this situation arises, a complete redesign of part layout and tooling may be required at considerable expense. In addition, where original tooling is no longer available, redevelopment and fabrication of tooling is often required. This can result in undesirable costs associate with supply of the replacement parts. Also, on occasion, it may be necessary to build more parts than are actually needed to help amortize the costs of the tooling. This, however, can result in large inventory costs that counter the cost savings associated with the larger production runs.

What is needed is a cost effective and productive method of supplying replacement parts in limited runs without the negative costs associated with the redevelopment of specialized tooling. Additionally, it would be highly desirable to have a method of supplying replacement parts that addressed the problems associated with in-service parts no longer matching original design specifications. If such a system were developed it would eliminate the costs associated with specialized tooling, long lead time development, and large inventory.

It is therefore an object to the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for the rapid manufacturing of aerospace replacement parts that provides relief from the costs and long lead-time associated with the development and fabrication of tooling. It is further object to the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for the rapid manufacturing of aerospace replacement parts that would address small lot productions and components that no longer match original design configurations.

In accordance with the objects of the present invention a method for the rapid manufacturing of aerospace replacement parts is provided. The method includes removing an in-service aerospace part from an aerospace system. The in-service aerospace part is placed into a three-dimensional scanning device. The present invention further includes scanning the in-service aerospace part. The present invention then develops a computer-aided-design model based on the three-dimensional scan. The present invention finally includes direct metal fabricating a replacement part from the computer-aided-design model utilizing a layer-build technology device.

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System for rapid manufacturing of replacement aerospace parts