NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
14 Jul 08. AIRCMM win endorses Chemring technology and value for money. Following the recent award of a contract to supply the M212 multi-spectral decoy, Chemring Group has become the only company which has the capability to make all three flares for the AIRCMM (Advanced Infra Red Counter Measures Munition) solution, used by the US Army and US Air Force to protect helicopters from the threat of IR guided missiles. The AIRCMM solution comprises the M212, the M206 MTV (magnesium, Teflon and Viton) decoy also supplied by Kilgore, and the M211 multi-spectral Special Material Decoy manufactured by another Chemring subsidiary, Alloy Surfaces. “The M212 win is a key endorsement by the DoD and demonstrates its confidence in our ability to develop, manufacture and deliver the high technology countermeasures it needs to protect US helicopters. For Chemring, it allows us to be more responsive to our customer and it means we can utilise our engineering talent and large scale production facilities to bring products into volume production more efficiently and cost effectively”, said Dan McKenrick, President, Chemring North America.
14 Jul 08. GKN Aerospace invests in ECM technology to meet market growth. GKN Aerospace is positioning itself to meet future demand for engine components by extending its electrochemical machining (ECM) capability and technology. The Company has a world lead in this through its 2007 acquisition of Teleflex Aerospace Manufacturing Group (TAMG). ECM will create precise, compound shapes from advanced alloys regardless of how hard the material. It is one of the key manufacturing processes involved in creating components such as blisks, combustor cases, outlet guide vanes and compressor blades and vanes. The
manufactured parts are very consistent with close tolerances and require few additional machining operations. Typically using ECM will also reduce the requirement for mechanical assembly of one part to another. The process involves the use of a cathode and an electrolyte fluid, and the transfer of electricity from the part to the cathode. GKN Aerospace has been manufacturing blisks for over 20 years, initially for military use, and more recently for commercial and industrial applications. Today the Company produces these items in steel, titanium and nickel, and in sizes up to 52″ in diameter.
14 Jul 08. GKN Aerospace team develops new process to create complex curved structures in titanium GKN Aerospace – Santa Ana, is now delivering the first production hardware manufactured using an entirely new process that will form compound curves into titanium structures for the first time. The Company is already successfully using the new process to manufacture the advanced
cone-shaped titanium exhaust system for the Boeing 747-800, which commenced delivery early this year. The process will also provide an effective method to create the complex shapes required for extremely rugged items such as engine inlet lips and inner barrels, thrust reverser inner fixed structures and exhaust nozzles and plugs. Titanium products combine minimal weight with maximum strength and excellent sustained performance in severe environments. GKN Aerospace’s established, proprietary, resistance welded and diffusion bonded ‘Soundwich R’ technology produces flat panels of titanium honeycomb sandwich with excellent noise suppression qualities. Until now, these panels are formed to the shape of the final product using GKN Aerospace’s drape creep forming technique. In this process, the flat panel is draped around a die in a vacuum furnace at temperatures well above 1000?F with static weights attached to the ends of the panel. This creates a straight cylindrical or conical shape.
14 Jul 08. SARBE unveiled the brand new SARBE Advanced Aircrew Personal Locator Beacon (SARBE AAPLB)Farnborough. SARBE AAPLB is available in two versions, one specifically dev