A major European aircraft manufacturer recently began construction on a new U.S. assembly facility for A220 aircraft.
Building has commenced in Mobile, Alabama, where Airbus recently broken ground on the company’s A220 Manufacturing Facility, housing a new assembly line for the newest offering in Airbus’ commercial aircraft product line. The new facility is next to Airbus’ nearby A320 plant. Aircraft production is planned to begin in Q3 2019; with first delivery of a Mobile-assembled A220 aircraft scheduled for 2020. The new A220 production facilities will be complete by next year.
A heat treating services and metallurgical solutions company recently announced the arrival of three new gas nitride units at its corporate headquarters, doubling the gas nitriding capacity at this location and allowing the company to expand its UltraGlow® gas nitriding and UltraOx® surface treatment solutions.
The three new gas nitride units at Advanced Heat Treat Corp’s Waterloo, Iowa, corporate facility vary in size, allowing for the accommodation of various industries and applications including, but not limited to: aerospace, automotive, oil and energy, agriculture, construction, and firearms.
AHT President Mikel Woods with new gas nitriding unit.
One nitride unit will be operational this month, and the additional two units will be running in February. AHT also has plans to design and build an additional unit later in 2019.
“I’m excited on many accounts,” said AHT President, Mikel Woods. “One, we’re adding capacity/back-up to an already growing agriculture/construction market. Two, we have plans to add a new Nadcap process in order to expand further into the aerospace market and meet our customer requirements/requests. And three, we’re gearing up to go even bigger in 2019 with additional equipment.”
The new units will house AHT’s UltraGlow Gas Nitriding and UltraOx services, commonly used in manufacturing to prevent corrosion and improve wear resistance.
“UltraOx is rapidly replacing processes like QPQ/salt bath, chrome plating, and nickel plating; therefore, it was pivotal for us to invest in more equipment so that we can accommodate the growing demand and continue to provide our customers with the quality and service they have come to expect from AHT,” said Woods.
AHT is currently Nadcap accredited for ion nitriding at their corporate location, but with the additional capacity, AHT plans to gain accreditation in gas nitriding by this summer as well. The additional Nadcap accreditation will help AHT to accommodate additional aerospace needs and grow their UltraGlow gas nitriding service.
Photo caption (main): John Ludeman, AHT Quality and Continuous Improvement Manager; Dan Sager, Assistant Operations Manager; Jill Manning, AHT accountant; Carlos Urzagaste, AHT maintenance supervisor
During the day-to-day operation of heat treat departments, many habits are formed and procedures followed that sometimes are done simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. One of the great benefits of having a community of heat treaters is to challenge those habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat TreatToday‘s 101 Heat TreatTips, tips and tricks that come from some of the industry’s foremost experts, were initially published in the FNA 2018 Special Print Edition, as a way to make the benefits of that community available to as many people as possible. This special edition is available in a digital format here.
Today we offer one of the 101 tips, which was provided by AeroSPC and originally published under Miscellaneous Tips.
Heat TreatTip #42
Burn Out vs. Bake Out: What’s the Diff?
Many organizations use the term burn out and bake out to be the same event. Others have burn out understood to be 50°F above prior maximum temperature after the braze process for a short period. Bake out then is a “close to max” temperature of the oven maintained for over an hour. If your organization is using these terms, ensure that they are internally defined and in alignment with the terms used in your customer specifications.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the expert who submitted the Tip or contact Heat TreatTodaydirectly. If you have a heat treat tip that you’d like to share, please send to the editor, and we’ll put it in the queue for our next Heat TreatTipsissue.
The world’s largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer recently announced that the company plans to expand operations at its Tulsa, Oklahoma, site by investing more than $80 million in capital projects to support fuselage manufacturing and assembly work.
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas, will be hiring about 250 employees as part of this expansion. The new Tulsa project will support increases in 737 production rates by freeing up required space in Spirit’s Wichita factory site. The work expansion in Tulsa is part of a larger effort to maximize operational efficiencies across Spirit’s sites. As the production rates increase, the Wichita site will continue to hire additional workers to meet the increasing demand.
Spirit AeroSystems President and CEO Tom Gentile
The first phase of the Tulsa work expansion will begin with infrastructure set-up and employee training beginning in 2019. Full rate production is expected to be complete by the end of 2021. Additional investment in equipment, tooling and facilities upgrades will take place through 2022.
“This expansion would not have been possible without the strong collaboration among Spirit, the UAW, and Oklahoma state and local officials,” said Spirit AeroSystems President and CEO Tom Gentile. “The Spirit team in Tulsa has made great strides in improving the site’s efficiency and demonstrating the capability to bring in additional work. The Tulsa site has a critical role in helping Spirit meet rising airplane production rates and pursue growth opportunities.”
In addition, Spirit announced that it executed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with The Boeing Company, extending its partnership with the aerospace giant and leading manufacturer of airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. Spirit builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737, portions of the 787 fuselage, and the cockpit section of the fuselage of nearly all of its airliners.
“This agreement further strengthens the long-standing partnership between Boeing and Spirit as it removes uncertainty well into the next decade. The agreement establishes pricing and capital investment for a range of potential production rate increases on the 737 program. With the new agreement, we expect price to exceed cost eventually on the 787 program. We are excited to continue to build on our relationship and look forward to future opportunities with our largest customer,” said Gentile. “With this agreement, we maintain our target of 7 to 9 percent conversion of revenue to free cash flow.”
Photo caption: Spirit AeroSystems president and CEO Tom Gentile announces Tulsa expansion (Twitter).
The world’s first 100-ton vacuum hot press with gas fan quench cooling capability for up to a 4,000 pound part has recently been installed and is in operation at a commercial and aerospace diffusion bonding operation in Chandler, Arizona.
Refrac Systems selected Solar Manufacturing, part of the Solar Atmospheres family of companies and based in Souderton, Pennsylvania, to perform the installation and startup of a large 100-ton force vacuum hot press that includes a 2-Bar Gas Fan Quench cooling system (GFQVHP). The furnace hot zone was modified to contain 100-ton on load hydraulic ram centered over the zone which is configured to diffusion bond parts up to 36″ wide x 48″ long x 30″ tall. Besides being specifically designed to diffusion bond large plastic injection molding dies, and concurrently quench hardening them, the system is finding applications in bonding advanced superalloy heat exchangers where the quench cooling offers a significant improvement on performance.
“We really drew on the extensive engineering experience base that Solar Manufacturing has for building large gas fan quench cooled vacuum furnaces coupled with our own vacuum hot pressing experience to build this very unique hot press system,” said Norm Hubele, President of Refrac Systems. “Solar’s engineering team really helped out with a lot of great design ideas and manufacturing experience, and the system really contains the most robust and reliable furnace engineering content that both companies could muster.”
“Norm put together a team of engineers to design and build this state-of-the-art GFQVHP, and it contains many innovations,” said William Jones, CEO of Solar Atmospheres. “Throughout the entire process, Norm personally reviewed all aspects of the design and added considerable insight to the development of this unique vacuum furnace system.”
With the purchase of a gas nitride unit, a custom heat treat processing equipment manufacturer and leading provider of full-service induction hardening process services extends its strategy to expand offerings in the automotive sector and expand deeper into the aerospace market.
Ben Crawford, Contour CEO and President
Contour, which recently acquired the gas nitride unit from a major U.S. furnace manufacturer for installation at its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, in late spring 2019, began manufacturing induction heat treat systems and offering commercial induction processing services. The purchase of a gas nitride unit allows Contour to expand services focusing on distortion critical, complex parts for clients. With the addition of nitriding, it allows increased offerings to solve complex parts demanding dimensional control through engineered processes.
“Innovation is what Contour was built on,” said Neil Merrell, director of heat treat. “Today is no different. Our customers rely on Contour’s controlled heat-treatment processes, 100% hardness verification, and dimensional inspections. Our goal is to drive out part variation and provide a repeatable dimensionally accurate part.”
“We have an extremely deep and talented bench of in-house engineering and metallurgical teams, and they couldn’t be more excited about Contour’s entry into the Gas Nitride market,” said Ben Crawford, Contour CEO and President. For several years, Contour has planned having a more significant presence in the aerospace, agricultural, heavy truck and light automotive industries. The purchase of this gas nitride unit will allow us to do just that and compliment our induction and dimensional services.”
“We plan to make Gas Nitriding capabilities available to our clients at our Silao, Mexico, plant in the near future,” added Crawford. “We are committed to offering innovative thermal heat treat solutions to our clients globally and this investment is proof of our commitment.”
In one of the largest acquisitions in aerospace history, a high technology product and service provider to the building and aerospace industries recently announced the completion of its purchase of a company that provides avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aerospace manufacturers.
United Technologies Corporation’s (UTC) acquisition brings together Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems to create Collins Aerospace Systems.
Gregory Hayes, United Technologies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
“Collins Aerospace brings together two great companies with unmatched expertise in developing electrical, mechanical and software solutions,” said Gregory Hayes, United Technologies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We will have a laser focus on developing innovative solutions for customers and generating strong returns for shareowners.”
In addition, the Farmington, Connecticut-based, UTC announced its intention to spin off its commercial businesses, Otis and Carrier (renamed, formerly Climate, Controls & Security), into independent entities. The acquisition and separation will result in three global companies:
United Technologies, comprised of Collins Aerospace Systems and Pratt & Whitney, to be a systems supplier to the aerospace and defense industry; Collins Aerospace was formed through the combination of UTC Aerospace Systems and Rockwell Collins;
Otis, the world’s leading manufacturer of elevators, escalators and moving walkways; and
Carrier, a global provider of HVAC, refrigeration, building automation, fire safety, and security products.
“Our decision to separate United Technologies is a pivotal moment in our history and will best position each independent company to drive sustained growth, lead its industry in innovation and customer focus, and maximize value creation,” said Hayes. “Our products make modern life possible for billions of people. I’m confident that each company will continue our proud history of performance, excellence, and innovation while building an even brighter future. As standalone companies, United Technologies, Otis and Carrier will be ready to solve our customers’ biggest challenges, provide rewarding career opportunities, and contribute positively to communities around the world.”
Jeremy Halford, president of Arconic Engineered Structures
A lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recently opened its expanded aluminum and titanium aerospace parts facility in Bestwig, Germany, almost doubling its titanium parts production capacity and adding state-of-the-art equipment.
Arconic’s expansion will allow the company to meet the demand for lightweight titanium investment castings.
“Combined with our previous investments in Bestwig, this latest expansion is providing additional capacity to deliver even more of the titanium components our customers need to build aircraft at high volumes,” said Jeremy Halford, president of Arconic Engineered Structures.
A global aerospace manufacturer recently celebrated the opening of its news fabrication factory in Sheffield, U.K.
Jenette Ramos, Boeing senior vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations.
Boeing’s new factory, the company’s first manufacturing site in Europe, makes actuation system components for the 737 and 767 jets from raw materials sourced in the UK. At full capacity, Boeing Sheffield will produce thousands of parts each month, which will be shipped for assembly in Boeing’s plant in Portland, Oregon. The 66,736-sq-ft facility represents a Boeing investment of more than $51.5 million, placing the world’s largest aerospace company at the heart of Sheffield City Region’s growing Global Innovation Corridor.
“We appreciate all the community support for Boeing’s new advanced manufacturing factory in the UK. This is a fabulous example of how we are engaging global talent to provide greater value to our customers,” said Jenette Ramos, Boeing senior vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations. “In Boeing Sheffield, we are building on longstanding relationships and the region’s manufacturing expertise to enhance our production system and continue to connect, protect, explore and inspire aerospace innovation.”
An Arizona-based aerospace repair and overhaul service recently dedicated the company’s 30,000 sq. ft. expansion of its component repair facility, located in Miami, Florida, adding heat treating capabilities, among other processes.
StandardAero Component Services announced that the additional working space and capital improvements included the installation of a state-of-the-art clean line, an additional vacuum furnace as well as water jet cleaning capabilities. As a result, the facility will be the largest provider of aerospace and aerospace-derivative combustor overhauls in North America, and the second largest in the world.
"Since becoming a part of the StandardAero family in 2017, we have enjoyed the support and resources that the company has brought to bear on our Miami operations," said Diego Beltran, Vice President & General Manager of the Miami facility. "We are excited for our employees here as well as for our customers as we bring more and new work into our shop to meet the growing demands in the industry."
The Miami location expansion complements StandardAero’s recent new building expansion at its Cincinnati facility and the company is still proceeding with another 30,000 sq. ft. expansion at its Hillsboro, Ohio, facility, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
