Location: United States
Challenge: After experiencing limited repair options for certain aircraft components as well as availability and cost issues in the spares market, the USAF sought Eaton’s help to develop a reliable, cost-effective repair solution for fuel pump housings.
Solution: Eaton collabrated with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the USAF to develop a cold-spray repair process for pump housings that enables fast, reliable repairs at a fraction of the cost of buying new parts.
Results: Eaton’s new cold-spray repair technique has opened the door to a wide range of component repair opportunities for military and commercial customers that reduce life cycle costs.
Eaton’s cold-spray repair solution provides cost-saving benefits for military customers
Background
Eaton’s advancements in additive manufacturing are providing superior component solutions for military and commercial aerospace customers — from increased weight savings and faster product development cycles to lower costs and repair options. Leveraging our additive technologies, Eaton developed a cold-spray repair solution for fuel pump housings that is providing cost- and time-saving benefits for the U.S. Air Force.
Challenge
Over the operational lives of military aircraft, aerospace components in fuel, hydraulic, actuation, pneumatic and other systems often experience significant wear. Operators also encounter problems with availability and manufacturability of spare items due to supplier obsolescence or re-tooling of castings, both of which are costly to resolve. After experiencing long lead times and high prices for spare fuel pump housings, the U.S. Air Force turned to Eaton for a reliable, cost-effective coldspray repair solution.
Solution
Eaton collaborated with the USAF and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to develop a cold-spray repair process for pump housings that enables fast, reliable repairs at a fraction of the cost of buying new parts.
After completing a comprehensive technical review process, the U.S. Air Force authorized Eaton to proceed with cold-spray repairs of nonstructural dimensional restoration using the industry’s aluminium alloy, AL 6061. Technicians cleaned wear areas on the pump housing and then cold sprayed, machined and anodized the guide slots. After completing Eaton’s cold-spray repair process, the part achieved complete dimensional compliance and passed all required tests.
Result
Eaton’s cold-spray repair technique and continued advancements in additive manufacturing technologies have opened the door to a wide range of component repair opportunities on several military platforms. Costly repairs can be performed with significant cost savings for operators and increase time between maintenance cycles. Turnaround times are a fraction of traditional repair and spare lead times and the new process eliminates the need for special tools while simplifying and streamlining supply chain workflows.
