Surface World August 2019 Surface World August 2019 | Page 72

PRE-TREATMENT, SURFACE PREPARATION, DEGREASING & CLEANING
Leonardo Helicopters’ REACH puzzle solved – the aerospace supplier decided for
SAFECHEM’s COMPLEASE™ Chemical Leasing with DOWPER™* MC
Leonardo Helicopters’ REACH puzzle solved –
AND ENVIRONMENTALLY
the ECONOMICALLY
aerospace supplier decided
for SAFECHEM’s
COMPLEASE™
Chemical
Leasing
with DOWPER™*
EFFICIENT
SURFACE
CLEANING
WITH MC
MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
Economically
and environmentally
effi cient surface cleaning with
maximum performance
The aerospace industry has high requirements when it comes to
the cleanliness of parts. Chlorinated solvents are a proven and
well-researched solution for clean parts with low surface tension
– even with a wide range of contaminants. However, many man-
ufactures in the last years have been evaluating alternatives to
their established processes. So did Leonardo Helicopters, one of
the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers, at their site in Yeo-
vil (UK). They decided for DOWPER™* MC Perchloroethylene and
COMPLEASE™, the Chemical Leasing model from SAFECHEM. It
helps to ensure that the highest requirements to both component
cleanliness and health, safety and the environment (HSE) are met.
At the same time, the service-oriented leasing model provides
process optimisation to reliably produce top products.
However, for critical applications, particularly cleaning prior to NDT
processes, the low surface tension of solvent was felt to be a sig-
nificant advantage. Solvent options considered were Perchloroeth-
ylene (DOWPER™* MC) and DOWCLENE™* 1601 Modified Alcohols.
The CoRAP review of 2014 gave reassurance over the future of Per-
chloroethylene. All options had not only to comply with the strict
aerospace approvals that Leonardo and their customers expected,
but they needed to be cost-effective and provide a consistency of
results, too.
aeronautics industry. In 2001, the two
The aerospace industry has MC Perchloroethylene
companies joined together to create
high requirements when it
and COMPLEASE™, the
AgustaWestland, which today as Leonardo
Helicopters, is one of the world’s leading
comes to the cleanliness
Chemical Leasing model
helicopter manufacturers.
Leonardo
Helicopters, with its UK home in Yeovil, manages the de-
of parts.
Chlorinated
from SAFECHEM. It helps
sign, development, test, production, support and sales of the most
solvents
are range
a proven
complete
of rotorcraft and
available for commercial,
public utility,
Sustainability and economic
to ensure
that the highest
security and defence use. The company brings together the past ex-
well-researched
solution
benefi ts – main drivers to
perience of Agusta in
Italy and Westland in the
UK, whose origins as to both
requirements
aircraft
manufacturers
date
back
to
the
beginning
of
the
last
centu-
for clean
parts with low
a new cleaning solution
component
cleanliness
ry, establishing the European aeronautics industry.
In 2001, the two
companies
joined together
to create AgustaWestland, which today
surface
tension
– even
Leonardo, being acutely aware of their
and health, safety and the
as Leonardo Helicopters, is one of the world’s leading helicopter
environmental responsibilities, had been
The
search
for
the
right
solution
with a manufacturers.
wide range of
environment
(HSE)
are
met.
Peter O’Shea,
Capital Investment
Project Manager,
Transmissions in
using NEU-TRI™°
E Trichloroethylene

contaminants.
However,
Centre of Excellence and SAFECHEM’s
Anthony Brown, SAFE-TAINER™
Production Laboratory
Systems for
Sustainability and economic benefits – main drivers to a new
Manager, Transmissions
of years,
Excellence,
began
the investiga-
At the same time, the service-oriented
leasing Centre
many
in
an
environmentally-
cleaning
solution
many manufactures in
tion for the perfect
solution. The system needed to provide a cost
model provides
process optimisation
to
responsible manner – with large, non-
Leonardo, being acutely aware of their environmental
responsibili-
effective, repeatable solution without issues of environmental or
the last
have
been E Trichloroethylene
reliably in produce
top products. Leonardo
ties, years
had been using
NEU-TRI™°
SAFECHEM’s
regenerating
carbon
abatement
operator safety. Peter O’Shea
confirmed that
“processing
time, systems.
con-
SAFE-TAINER™ Systems for many years, in
an environmentally-
Helicopters,
with its UK home
Yeovil, and the low That
led tension
to annual
carbon all costs
sistent in results
surface
of solvent
were similar
im- to
evaluating
alternatives
to
responsible manner – with large, non-regenerating
carbon
abate-
manages the design, development,
test,
associated with
the and
supply
and disposal
portant.” This
requires the those
right combination
of plant
cleaning
ment systems. That processes.
led to annual carbon costs similar to those
their established
production, support and fluid
sales to of go the
most
with
it. The German
machine So,
manufacturer
Höckh came was
of solvent.
when Trichloroethylene
associated with the supply and disposal of solvent. So, when
up with
an innovative
two chamber
system
that would list
enable
parts XIV of
complete
range
of
rotorcraft
available
for
added
to
the
candidate
of Annex
So did Trichloroethylene
Leonardo was
Helicopters,
added to the candidate list of Annex XIV of
to security
be processed
in whichever sized chamber was best suited to par-
commercial,
public
utility,
and
the
REACH
legislation
in
2010
as
a
REACH legislation in 2010 as a substance of very high concern,
ticular components. If needed, both could be utilised at the same
one of the
the
world’s leading
defence
use. to The
company brings together
leading to formal classification in 2013, Leonardo
started
investi-
substance of very high concern, leading to
time, although with slightly extended process time. This so-called
gate potential
alternatives for the solvent that the
had past
been experience
the bed rock of Agusta in Italy and
formal
classification
in was
2013,
Leonardo
helicopter
manufacturers,
Multiclean plant with a filling
volume
of 2.000 litres
installed
at
of aerospace approvals for many years.
Westland in the UK, whose
origins as
aircraft
started 2016.
to investigate potential alternatives for
Leonardo’s
Yeovil
site in autumn
at their site in Yeovil (UK).
manufacturers date back to the beginning of
the solvent that had been the bed rock of
Potential alternatives: Aqueous or modified alcohols
the
last
century,
establishing
the
European
aerospace approvals for many years
They decided
for
DOWPER™*
Aqueous cleaning systems were widely in use across the Yeovil site
having replaced numerous open topped plants over several years.
70
AUGUST 2019
CONTINUED ON PAGE 72
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