Accelerating to new heights

Grounded aircraft do not generate income, so it is critical that they stay in flight. Commercial carriers invest significant time and money in constant maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of their planes and parts to ensure a functioning fleet. Performed by the carriers themselves, or though industry shops, MRO is an absolute necessity for safe and effective operations. Because commercial carriers need their planes and key components ready in a hurry, MRO operations can be an excellent area for carriers and suppliers to boost productivity and maximize cost-efficiency by utilizing non-woven abrasives technology to increase the bottom line.

While MRO encompasses a wide range of applications, surface finishing is an excellent place to look for ways to improve efficiency. Using enhanced, next-generation non-woven abrasives technology such as Norton Vortex Rapid Prep, MRO operations can gain up to eight times the performance of conventional materials, reducing time and material requirements. This means that MRO shops can complete more projects, more efficiently, increasing throughput and profitability. The faster MRO operators can complete their work, the sooner aircraft are back in the air and generating income.
 

Understanding non-woven abrasives

In a nutshell, a non-woven abrasive is a base of open nylon filament web – interlocked fibers of non-woven material – to which abrasive grain is bonded using a polymer adhesive or resin. Abrasive minerals used in non-wovens include ceramic (SG), aluminum oxide (A/O), silicon carbide (S/C), and agglomerated abrasive. Surface finishing uses various non-woven abrasives to change or improve the surface of a manufactured product – such as aircraft exteriors or engine turbines – to achieve a desired property. High performance, non-woven abrasives can be used for aerospace applications such as exterior and interior airframe maintenance and repair, stripping and painting, and engine rebuild and maintenance. The advantages to using non-woven abrasives include controlled cut with minimal stock removal, consistent and uniform finish, increased productivity, and ease of use. In addition, the inherent flexibility of non-wovens allows for the material to conform to the irregular surfaces found on complex pieces of airplane equipment.
 

Innovations in non-woven materials

Materials science expertise and innovation in product design have combined to yield improved abrasives technology. Such innovations include quick change disc products that feature a non-woven substrate impregnated with high-performance A/O grain, smear-free resin technology, and 3D construction. These features, offered by Norton, allow for faster throughput with reduced labor and material requirements.

Suited for aircraft frame component work, like blending mismatch and corner break on aluminum spars, as well as aircraft OEM interior finishing, these abrasives can provide up to four times the performance of conventional surface conditioning products. Comparisons show a longer useful life, consistent cut rate, and superior finish from beginning to end. This enables aircraft MRO operations to reduce or eliminate steps in a surface improvement process for more throughput without additional resources.

Enhanced quick-change stripping and blending discs are available for more challenging applications, offering a combination of synthetic mesh and patented abrasives for removing imperfections on metal surfaces. With up to eight times the performance of conventional discs, these products are designed for aircraft repair jobs such as epoxy adhesive removal from carbon fiber inner skin, carbon fiber and copper removal, aircraft airframe blending mismatch and corner break on aluminum spars, and blending and finishing stainless steel and titanium straps.

While stiff enough for challenging applications, the disc material is also soft enough to prevent gouging that can require costly rework. With an open web structure, it will not load on coatings, adhesives, or softer materials. When used to deburr, the discs will not snag or shed like lantuck or fiber discs. Taking advantage of this existing technology, aircraft MRO operations can improve cycle times, increase abrasive lifecycle, and save on overall costs per part, compared with traditional A/O products.

In addition, these next-generation non-woven products are now available in belt form for operating conditions using high durability and/or high-tensile machines where a belt with low stretch properties is desired.
 

Reduced labor costs

So, how much can airlines and MRO shops actually save with reduced labor requirements and process steps? To provide a baseline for comparison, assume that an average aircraft MRO operation spends approximately $10,000 a year on surface conditioning materials (consumables), and that labor and overhead is set at a $50 hourly rate.

Using a right-angle grinder on a piece of 1018 carbon steel 2" x 2" with heavy scale and corrosion, an operator using conventional quick change discs to prep the piece of metal takes an average of 15 seconds to change out spent discs for new ones, using as many discs as needed to complete the task.

Field tests show that the next-generation material performs the work much faster with fewer disc changes, requiring significantly less labor and overhead. Because they are so durable, the overall abrasive costs are also lower, as the operator does not need to change discs as often, performing more work with an average of 50% less consumables.

In an extremely competitive marketplace, commercial airlines are actively looking for areas in which they can reduce high operating costs. While necessary to maintain a fleet, MRO is a good place to increase efficiency and achieve cost-savings without sacrificing quality or safety.

Thanks to recent advances in materials science, the next-generation of performance-engineered non-woven abrasives is available to help airlines and MRO suppliers streamline operations. With enhanced performance properties, these products provide longer and more consistent performance, as well as increased productivity. In addition, smear-free resin technology further reduces the time and materials needed to finish a job.

Requiring less time, materials, and man-hours to perform vital aircraft maintenance – such as aircraft frame component work, interior finishing, and engine repair – helps airlines and their MRO suppliers significantly reduce total maintenance costs and keep their fleets in the air, increasing the bottom line.

Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives
www.nortonabrasives.com
IMTS 2014 booth #N-7051

About the author: Jim Krause, a 29-year abrasive industry veteran, is manager of Segment Marketing – Aerospace, for Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives.