PRETREATMENT , SURFACE PREPARATION , DEGREASING & CLEANING
Fraser Technologies ensures efficiencies for pioneering aerospace company
When every part of a product needs to be of the highest quality , it is imperative that the cleaning standard of every component is too .
Over the past six years , Fraser Technologies has been working with a well-known , midlands-based , leading aerospace engineering company , to provide them with extremely high levels of cleaning performance for their mechanical components .
As a leading engine producer for large civil aircraft , corporate jets , and defence aircraft , the company is world-renowned in highspeed jet engines , so the requirement for precision and superior levels of cleanliness is easy to understand . The company provides its customers with a single solution for the design , manufacture , procurement , testing and support of high-integrity , harsh environment control systems , including safety critical software , electrical and hydromechanical products .
They are responsible for delivering a large variety of products including Fuel Pumps , Variable Stator Vane Actuators ( VSVAs ), Hydro-mechanical Metering Units ( HMUs ), Engine Electronic Controllers ( EECs ), Fuel Spray Nozzles , and Permanent Magnet Alternators . Together the products and systems deliver fuel to the engine combustion chamber at the required flow and pressure , enable engine start and shutdown , control the engine to give the required propulsive thrust , and prevent the engine exceeding desired or safe operating conditions .
Each part needs to be spotlessly clean – with maximum particle sizes of just 10 microns – in order to perform its role . The team uses a coordinate measuring machine ( CMM ) to ensure each component is machined to very accurate tolerances . The tolerances for measurement are just five microns , so even small particulate material has an impact on this process .
The Challenges
With demand for ever higher levels of cleanliness and increased efficiencies across the business , the company identified that improvements could be made in some of their component cleaning processes . They were finding some residual material contamination on machined and de-burred surfaces on the VSVAs and fuel metering units , which was preventing measurement and evaluation by the CMM . This meant parts had to be removed , hand washed , checked and cleaned manually , which was
CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
38 NOVEMBER 2020 twitter : @ surfaceworldmag