Recently Approved Projects:

Implementation of Innovative Hard Chrome Plating Tooling at Corpus Christi Army Depot

At Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), no-mask anodes for chrome plating the CH-47 horizontal pin and cover support have been developed under a recently completed CTMA project.  These particular helicopter parts were selected because they are difficult to plate and they are the two most commonly plated parts at this facility (make up approximately 25% of the workload).  Prototype and production tooling were successfully tested during January and April 2005.  The new tooling dramatically reduces both shop labor and the shop turn-around time for processing these parts. 

In addition to the horizontal pin and cover support, there are approximately 50 other aircraft parts chrome plated at CCAD; although many of these parts are much less frequently processed.  Some of these additional parts have very different processing characteristics than the horizontal pin and cover support and therefore require that a different design approach be developed for the no-mask anodes.  The second phase of this project will focus on technical solutions for the most critical of these additional parts.  Phase II is expected to impact an additional 50% of the CCAD chrome plating workload.

Phase 2 is divided into two tasks:

1.       Design of anodes/racks for an additional seven critical parts commonly plated at CCAD, including parts made of high nickel alloy steel.

2.       Design and implementation of a generic anode/rack system that can be used to plate a range of critical parts, which are less frequently plated (customized tooling is less likely to be cost-effective for low volume parts).

Overall, Phases I and II are expected to impact 75% of the CCAD workload and provide a 36.4% capacity increase, while reducing annual operating costs.

The NCMS contact is Paul Chalmer, (734) 995-4911, paulc@ncms.org

 

High-Performance 3D Scanning System 

The Norfolk NSY (Philadelphia Detachment) Naval Foundry and Propeller Center (NFPC) provides the Navy with the propulsors that are used to propel all of its submarines and selected classes of surface ships.  The Automated Propeller Measurement System (APOMS) is the primary tool used for inspecting rotors and stator blades for certification.  There is currently only one operational APOMS in the world making it a critical resource for the production of submarine propulsors.  The Navy is currently investing over $1M to upgrade APOMS in order to improve its reliability and extend its “expected life” for 5–10 years.  Even after the overhaul, APOMS will remain a one-of-a-kind system, making it an undesirable risk to submarine propulsor production.

This project will develop, produce and deliver, a portable high-performance Accordion Fringe Interferometry (AFI) based scanner, which will be capable of scanning NFPC propulsor and similar sized components in industry more effectively than ever before.  Once deployed, this scanner has the potential to avoid over $1 million in costs, plus improve the throughput of propulsors for delivery to the shipyards. 

The NCMS contact is Bill Waddell, (231) 264-9774, Wwadd49648@aol.com

 

Portable Large Shape Inspection System 

Manufacturing facilities are under increasing pressure to reduce operation and sustainment costs while simultaneously providing improved reliability and quality of repairs with reduced turnaround times.  A key to meeting this challenge is to radically improve the performance of dimensional inspection systems.  Inspection systems must become faster, more accurate and easier to use.  They need to work in open-shop environments so that they can be tied directly into real-time processes, avoiding the need to physically move parts into a specifically constructed, remote inspection area.  To achieve lean manufacturing, resources must be made available at the point of use.

The Air Force, and industry partners, have identified urgent needs for a portable, very high-performance scanning system that can accomplish two tasks: 1) inspect surfaces of 700 large aircraft panel fabrication tools, which must now be checked annually under ISO 9000 guidelines, and 2) perform in-process inspection of aircraft panels fabricated on Warner Robins Air Logistics Center's newly installed reconfigurable press.

The NCMS contact is Bill Waddell, (231) 264-9774, Wwadd49648@aol.com