Avionics, fatigue, vibration, materials and flight, engine, non-destructive…all of these areas require specialist products, software and training. And they are all intertwined into aviation and the manufacturing and maintenance of the aircraft operated in this industry where it is imperative to be ready for anything at any time. We will be exploring the latest technological advances in aerospace testing as well as the tried and true products already here.
Mahr Inc., a global manufacturer of precision measurement equipment used for dimensional metrology, has issued a new air gaging product catalog in print and PDF editions. The full-color edition contains 56 pages dedicated to air gaging, providing complete specification and ordering information on Mahr’s air tooling, display systems, setting masters, and accessories.
Product lines related to air gaging detailed in the catalog include Mahr Dimensionair air plugs, air rings, air snaps and accessories, Millimar electronic/pneumatic display systems, and MarGage precision master rings, discs, and plugs. Recently introduced products and applications highlighted in the catalog include:
Millimar C1202: Modular amplifier systems for single or dual-channel applications
Millimar C1750 PC: Shop-ready PC with Millimar Cockpit gaging software for simple to complex dimensional gaging applications
Redesigned Dimensionair air plugs
Redesigned Dimensionair air rings
Options for new AICrN-Vapor Deposition coating for vastly extending tool life in high-volume automated applications
Expanded applications section to demonstrate the many places air gaging can be used to improve the measurement process
Cross-reference sections for updating legacy Mahr and competitive manufacturers’ systems
The catalog also incorporates a wealth of practical how-to information on the history of air gaging, where it is used, and why air gaging is still an important tool for dimensional and geometric measuring at the point of manufacture. Mahr Inc. has long been known for its application expertise in providing quality measurement solutions for its customers. In addition to the products listed in the catalog—many of which are available for next-day delivery—the company can customize or engineer special air gaging systems for taper, flatness, straightness, perpendicularity, multiple dimensions, and automated in-process systems to meet customer application needs.
Graphene aerogel is a remarkable lightweight material that is both thermally insulating and electrically conductive. This makes it appealing for use in a wide variety of applications—from improved energy storage in batteries to better oil spill cleanup methods to next-generation space suits. A team of researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley are leveraging the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to produce higher-quality graphene aerogel than is possible on Earth.
This week, the Crew-6 astronauts onboard the space station completed work on the team’s investigation, which was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Results could provide new insights into the underlying physics of graphene aerogel synthesis and lead to the development of novel material products.
“Through the microgravity environment of the space station, we can unlock a completely new area of material science that we’ve never had access to,” said Jessica Frick, a research engineer at Stanford.
Frick is part of Stanford’s Extreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory, or XLab. Conceived by Debbie Senesky, an associate professor in aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford, the XLab focuses on making tiny but tough electronics that can work in extreme environments—like space. For their investigation on the space station, Frick and Senesky are collaborating with a research group from UC Berkeley led by Roya Maboudian, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. The team aims to better understand the nature of graphene aerogel and how microgravity affects its properties.
The investigation, which will execute the first step of graphene aerogel synthesis in microgravity, launched on Northrop Grumman’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission (NG-19). Results could have implications for future in-space manufacturing as well as deep space missions.
Producing graphene aerogel is a two-step process. The first step is much like making Jell-O. The research team combined graphene oxide flakes in an aqueous solution, like you would combine gelatin powder and hot water for Jell-O. The graphene oxide solution samples were then sent to the space station. Earlier this week, crew members loaded the samples into a furnace, where the solution will be heated to form graphene hydrogel. This process takes a few hours, and once the hydrogel is formed, the astronauts will prepare the samples for return to Earth.
When the samples are back in the lab, the team will do the second step of the process, which involves removing the liquid and leaving behind only air in the form of graphene aerogel. The team will then examine the properties of the aerogel and compare what they find with terrestrially produced graphene aerogel.
The first step of the process is the most crucial, says Frick. On Earth, gravity can pull the graphene flakes down unevenly, which can create cracks in the hydrogel. This could affect the quality of aerogel produced, making it less electrically conductive or have lower absorption rates.
“What we’re expecting to see from the space-produced graphene hydrogel is a depression in the effects of sedimentation that we see here on Earth,” said Senesky. The graphene aerogel produced from the hydrogel will only be a few millimeters in size, but if the team can show that the aerogel is of higher quality than its terrestrial counterparts, production could be scaled up to create larger graphene aerogels.
According to Senesky, aerogels have many remarkable qualities, making them an ideal material for a multitude of applications. They are extremely porous, which makes them good for filtration. For example, NASA used a silica-based aerogel in the agency’s Stardust mission to capture fine dust particles from a comet. Silica aerogels have also been used as insulation on NASA’s Mars rovers and in outerwear clothing here on Earth.
Because graphene is also electrically conductive, researchers are hopeful graphene aerogel can be used for energy storage in batteries and supercapacitors. Additionally, graphene aerogel is a promising thermal insulator that could be used in heat shield technology or embedded in fabrics for aerospace applications. It could also be used as a chemical sensor or even to help absorb certain chemical constituents, which could be beneficial for applications like oil spill cleanup.
“Graphene aerogel is absorbent like a sponge,” said Maboudian. “This means it could be used to soak up materials many more times its own weight, which enables it to be used as a tool to clean up chemical spills and detect harmful chemicals in the environment.”
The NG-19 mission launched from Wallops Flight Facility on August 1 at 8:31 p.m. EDT and included more than 20 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads.
Advantage Capital announced a $3.35 million investment in Vibrant Corporation, a non-destructive testing (NDT) technology company. Advantage Capital led the round, with several pre-existing Vibrant shareholders also participating. The company will leverage this funding to expand its workforce and increase production.
Founded in 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Vibrant is a leader in the NDT space, developing the most commercially viable approach for Process Compensated Resonance Testing (PCRT) – a method of vibrating objects to test their integrity, which was initially developed at Los Alamos Laboratory.
“We are pleased to have received this funding at this critical moment in our growth trajectory,” said Lem Hunter, Chief Executive Officer, Vibrant Corporation. “With this financing, we will be able to build out our workforce with exceptional talent, continue to scale production, and importantly, stay here in the great state of New Mexico.”
In late 2021, Vibrant gained traction with Collins Aerospace in applying PCRT to replace an environmentally unfriendly and labor-intensive NDT process on commercial aircraft wheels for most Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft.
In light of this success, the company will use this investment to fund the construction and deployment of additional testing machines for commercial aircraft wheels. Much of this funding will go directly to the company’s efforts in building advanced PCRT systems to support its rapidly growing service business in Aerospace, Power Generation, and Automotive markets.
“Vibrant is exactly the type of growth-ready business we are looking to invest in. It’s innovative, a leader in its industry and we are excited to see how this financing will help the company continue its expansion,” said Gabe Rosen, vice president, Advantage Capital.
Vibrant is committed to investing in the local community— the manufacturing team prioritizes Albuquerque suppliers whenever available, often choosing contract manufacturers and distributors within the local area.
The financing was made in connection with the Federal New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, which aims to attract investment in low-income communities. By encouraging private investment, the program helps fill the financing gap that exists for many businesses in distressed areas—helping to drive job growth and economic development in the places that need it most.
What if microgravity holds the key to preventing the overheating of advanced electronics? That’s one idea behind an International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory-sponsored investigation that recently launched to station on Northrop Grumman’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission (NG-19). This week, the ISS crew is working on the experiment, which aims to improve the efficiency of heat transfer devices used in various technologies, from laptops to NASA’s Hubble Telescope.
Heat pipes rely on the complex interplay between the vapor and liquid phases within a sealed system, a dynamic that can strongly affect their performance. Building on previous research on the space station, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), with support from ISS National Lab Implementation Partner Tec-Masters, Inc., are leveraging microgravity to better understand the vapor-liquid interfaces of organic mixtures used in heat pipes, which could lead to their improved efficiency.
The investigation, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), could unlock discoveries that pave the way for innovation in several fields, including energy, manufacturing, and space exploration.Heat pipes play a vital role in cooling electronic devices, but their uses don’t end there. They are also used in satellites and even Mars rovers.
“As electronic devices continue to shrink in size while simultaneously generating more power, and technologies for long-term space missions require the utmost reliability and minimal maintenance, efficient cooling becomes paramount to prevent overheating and ensure optimal performance,” said project leader Joel Plawsky, a professor of chemical engineering at RPI. “Conducting this experiment on the space station allows us to eliminate the influence of gravity and study vapor-liquid interfaces of organic mixtures used in heat pipes in an entirely new light.”
The findings could impact multiple disciplines and drive technological advancements across various sectors. Heat pipes use fluid to transfer heat, but an essential feature of the device is that the fluid undergoes a phase change between liquid and vapor. The motion and dynamics of the interface between the two phases can significantly affect the performance of heat pipes and similar systems.
In microgravity, the absence of buoyancy-driven convection and the resulting reduction in surface tension due to the higher temperature at the heated end of the pipe significantly impact heat pipedynamics and thermal performance. By closely studying the liquid-to-vapor phase change and shape of the vapor-liquid interface under these conditions, Plawsky aims to investigate the underlying physics behind the function of heat pipes.
The research team will test new techniques to diagnose heat pipe malfunctions and validate new models developed in the lab back on Earth. Plawsky hopes the investigation will be a prelude to developing a future heat pipe user facility in low Earth orbit where companies could test heat pipe designs and various working fluids.
AerSale Corporation. a provider of aviation products and services, announced that it has successfully completed all certification flight testing for AerAware, its Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS), in coordination with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Prior to the completion of the final test flight, the FAA approved all modifications to the system and the Company successfully completed its fifth set of test flights on August 19, 2023, which when added to the first four set of flight tests, totaled more than 100 hours of flight time.
“We are pleased to reach this milestone in the development of AerAware, and we look forward to proceeding to Supplemental Type Certification and commercialization of the product,” said Nicolas Finazzo, AerSale’s CEO.
4D Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Onto Innovation Inc., has installed and commissioned a 4Di InSpec AT automated inspection system at a leading aerospace engine manufacturer’s engineering facility. The system will be transferred to full production in the next quarter.
“We developed the 4Di InSpec AT in conjunction with leading aerospace and aviation engine manufacturers, to dramatically improve the measurement process,” said Erik Novak, general manager of 4D Technology. “By improving measurement accuracy, the system greatly reduces rework and scrap due to rejection of actual good parts. Additionally, it improves inspection throughput by several orders of magnitude, saving critical labor and providing rapid production feedback to improve part quality.”
Aircraft and aerospace engine components may have dozens of critical specifications for chamfers and rounding, for performance and lifetime optimization. These numerous features are time-consuming to measure manually. Difficult-to-access areas must be replicated in order to measure, which further increases cycle time.
The 4Di InSpec AT system combines the industry-leading 4D InSpec surface gauge with a collaborative robot for non-contact measurement of edge break, chamfer, and round-off, and surface defects such as pits scratches, and dents on aerospace parts. With measurements that take seconds, versus many minutes or hours by manual methods, the automated system substantially increases measurement throughput and labor utilization. The ability to measure features in difficult locations further improves inspection quality.
“The 4D InSpec surface gage has been widely adopted for aviation and aerospace manufacturing and MRO (rework/repair),” said Novak. “That leading manufacturers are now automating this technology into inline production underscores its high value to the industry.”
Highlights of the 4Di InSpec AT include:
Measure dozens of edge break features, chamfers, radii, and defects in minutes rather than days.
Non-contact, 3D measurement with micrometer-level resolution.
Patented vibration-immune technology enables measurement on the shop floor.
Purpose-built software flags out-of-spec measurements and automatically remeasures the locations.
Integration with Fanuc CRX 5iA or CRX10iA/L collaborative robots.
Ability to measure internal as well as external shaft features via fold mirrors and compact probe design.
Optional rotary table for improved throughput.
Numerous safety features including a fully enclosed cell.
Airbus is investing further in its U.K. innovation capabilities, with the opening of a new Wing Technology Development Center (WTDC) at its Filton site. The facility, which will be used to build and test demonstrators for a range of programs and research projects, was opened by Nusrat Ghani, U.K. minister of state at the Department for Business and Trade.
Airbus says the new facility will help accelerate the design, build and testing of wings for next-generation aircraft, by using the latest technology and world-leading demonstrators to further improve the performance of its wings.
Alongside engine optimization, making wings longer, leaner and lighter is one of the biggest opportunities to improve fuel efficiency, reduce CO2 and ultimately work towards the aviation industry’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“The new Wing Technology Development Center will help us to ground our research in practicality,” said Sue Partridge, Airbus head of Filton site and Wing of Tomorrow Program. “A key element of how we deliver technology for next-generation aircraft wings is through Wing of Tomorrow (WoT), our largest research and technology program led by the team in the U.K.. Last week, we achieved a critical milestone in the program when our second wing demonstrator was completed by the team in Broughton, Wales, and delivered to the WTDC. Here it will be prepared for structural testing in our Aerospace Integrated Research and Technology Center (AIRTeC).”
The WoT program allows Airbus to explore new manufacturing and assembly technologies so future generations can continue to benefit from flying.
“It’s about preparing our people, technology, industrial system, supply chain and digital and physical capabilities for next-generation aircraft. We’re leveraging industry partners and the very best digital tools and automation to identify potential technology bottlenecks that may slow us down in the future. The foundations we lay now will help us build better and faster when the time comes.”
The WTDC adds to Airbus’ existing research and technology footprint in the U.K., including the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) in Broughton and both the ZEROe Development Center and Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Center (AIRTeC) at its Filton site.
Since 2014, Airbus has been awarded £117 million by the Aerospace Technology Institute for Wing of Tomorrow related research.
June 1982: That is when Honeywell Aerospace’s 757-200 test bed aircraft (now registered as N757HW) rolled off the line at Boeing’s plant in Renton, Washington. It was the fifth 757 ever produced, entering service with Eastern Airlines from February 1983 to January 1991. This ‘Flying Pencil’ (as 757s were nicknamed) then flew with Airtours International Airways starting in March 1995, according to planespotters.net, followed by MyTravel Airways starting in May 2002.
Honeywell acquired this 757 in 2005 to serve as its engine and instrument test bed, which explains the engine pylon jutting out of this aircraft’s upper forward starboard side. The company spent three years modifying it as a flying test bed with 25 seats, lots of onboard power, and room for all kinds of swappable equipment test stations inside. N757HW started flying test missions in 2008, and has been flying them ever since.
Although B757HW’s age is technically 40 years and counting, “we’ve made so many modifications and changes to this 757 over time that the only thing actually this old is its airframe,” said Captain Joe Duval, Honeywell Aerospace’s director of flight test operations. “It is configured to serve as a ‘generic flying test bed’. This means we can modify this 757 to test basically any aerospace product that we may be developing and have interest in, whether for pure research or certification.” According to Honeywell, their 757 is likely the only one in existence that has flown to more than 30 countries across five continents, conducted more than 800 flight tests, and logged more than 3,000 flight test hours.
Perfect for Testing Engines
The main reason Honeywell wanted this 757 was to have an aircraft large enough to mount and test its engines on. “This has traditionally meant turbojet and turbofan engines, but now it includes electric engines as well,” said Captain Duval. “The safest way to do this, when we’re making engines for business jets and general aviation, is to put them on an airplane that doesn’t require the propulsion from the engine under test. A 757 has two much larger engines for propulsion, which allows us to do whatever we need to do with the test engine mounted on the pylon without affecting the flying qualities or the performance of this aircraft.”
To date, N757HW has been used to test Honeywell’s HTF7000 jet engine series, which are used on business aircraft such as the Embraer Legacy 450/500. It has also been used to test the company’s TFE731 and TPE 331 turboprop engines, which are used on corporate and military aircraft.
Also Good for Aircraft Systems Testing
“Airborne weather radar, satellite communications, Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), equipment, flight management systems, navigation and other communication systems might be something you might think of as being simple as voice radio,” Captain Duval said. “But these things do need to be taken airborne to make sure they’re robust and safe for operation before we put them out there for the flying public. Fortunately, the uncluttered interior of the 757 makes it ideal for testing these systems, even though it’s not what people generally think of when they see that pylon sticking out of its fuselage.”
To date, the systems tested on N757NW include Honeywell’s IntuVue RDR-4000 and IntuVue RDR-7000 3D Weather Radar, next-generation flight management systems, JetWave and JetWave MCX in-flight Wi-Fi systems, and Aspire 350/400 satellite communication suites. More will be put through their paces in this test bed in the years to come.
The reason this 757 is able to test these and other systems so thoroughly has to do with its highly sophisticated data acquisition system. “It’s modular and generic, so that we’re always able to record Airplane State Data,” said Captain Duval. “This includes the air speed, altitude, bank and pitch angles, all synchronized with time of day. We can combine this information with data from any of the units/systems that we’re testing, whether that be an airborne weather radar, communication system, an engine, or what have you. We have a very capable data acquisition infrastructure system that is adaptable to whatever kind of unit/system we have on board, plus the real estate to house all of the computers and test stations we need inside this 757.”
The Honeywell Boeing 757 is equipped with a robust data acquisition infrastructure system that is adaptable to whatever kind of unit/system being tested as well as the space to house all of the computers and test stations needed.
A Beefed Up Aircraft
The stock version of the 757-200 was never intended to have a third engine attached to its fuselage adding weight and stress when activated in flight, let alone a cargo door inserted into it as well.
To cope with these challenges, “the aircraft’s metal is a little thicker because of the cargo door,” Captain Duval said. “Honeywell also added a pretty extensive crescent frame inside that strengthens the fuselage from above that cargo door up through that where the pylon sits. There are some really big, heavy attachment points for the test engine mounting that the pylon covers aerodynamically to make it look a little nicer. Those big attachment points are where the load is carried from the thrust and the weight of the engine and then distributed through the fuselage, so it’s not a problem.”
In order to minimize the third engine’s impact on the 757’s flight stability, Honeywell placed the third engine mounts as close to the center of the airplane. This keeps it from affecting the aircraft’s yaw axis and reducing its flyability.
“We had a goal of making sure that we didn’t reduce the operating envelope of the airplane, meaning we could still go as fast or as slow or as high as this 757 was originally designed to do,” said Captain Duval. “We needed and wanted to have that kind of performance envelope and we achieved that with all the design and effort that went into the installation. As well, there’s some pass-throughs that are built into the fuselage, just holes that we cap and we can use just depending on what we might be testing. And there’s lots of cabinets inside the aircraft that take all the instrumentation that might be going out to the engine, along with scanners and other things that are part of that data acquisition system.”
In order for this data acquisition system to work properly, N757HW needs to move massive amounts of data around; both on board and from the aircraft to the ground. “So we’ve made a lot of efforts in the last seven or eight years to enable high-speed bandwidth connectivity to the aircraft, using a few different SATCOM systems,” Captain Duval said. “After all, we make the terminal, the antenna, and the other SATCOM components that go into the airplane. We’re not making the satellites that we connect to, but we provide all the equipment such that if you have a wireless device inside the plane, you’re connected by Wi-Fi to the systems that we provide.
In a commercial airliner, this high-speed bandwidth would be used to support passenger internet access and in-flight entertainment. On N757HW, the purpose is to collect testing data and get it from the aircraft to the ground.
Not only is this connectivity useful for Honeywell’s testing procedures, but it could be something that enhances commercial aircraft availability going forward. “If you have a system that can describe the type of braking that was just used on a landing, and continually gather that data with the airplane being connected, then you could have a better way of doing predictive or preventive maintenance by changing a brake assembly when it needs it,” said Captain Duval. “This capability could also be connected to engines and other kinds of components on the airplane.”
Tough Test Conditions
Even though Honeywell’s 757 test bed is going on 41 years old, the company baby it. That’s because a flying test bed has to put the equipment being tested through extreme flying conditions to spot problems and remedy them back on the ground.
A case in point: “One important and exotic thing that we do with the airplane is wind shear testing,” Captain Duval said. “Our airborne weather radar has a predictive wind shear capability, which is important for safety when there are thunderstorms and things in the area that cause this wind shear phenomenon. So when we put this in an airplane, we need to certify it. We need to make sure that what the system is predicting is actual and true, so we have to go fly through wind shear events to develop a system that helps pilots avoid that.”
Because wind shear is dangerous to fly through, Honeywell does what it can to minimize the risks to its 757 crew and aircraft however it can. “We try to de-risk the activity as much as we can,” said Captain Duval. “We plan for a flight test area that’s not mountainous and doesn’t have other features or problems. This is vital for safety, because we have to go down to about a thousand feet above the ground and fly near or maybe even sometimes underneath heavy thunderstorms that are producing this wind shear phenomena to test the equipment. And so we’ll do that: We’ll fly through and see that the system’s predicting wind shear in a certain area and then, using that data acquisition system, gather all the data being generated as the aircraft flies through that wind shear event.”
“Again, this is something that pilots would normally be absolutely avoiding,” he noted. “But we are able to do that using a lower risk method because we’ve done all the work ahead of time to make sure we’re doing it safely.”
N757NW has also played a role in proving the viability of ad hoc wide area communications support for troops by taking part in Exercise Northern Edge. It was a multinational training exercise that brought together the United States Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF), and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
In this exercise, the aircraft connected military forces with each other and the outside world through its multiple onboard SATCOM systems.
The Challenges of Age
The fact that Honeywell has done extensive modifications and constant servicing of its 757 test bed does not change the reality that this is a four-decades-old airframe. This makes finding parts a challenge, given that Boeing stopped manufacturing the 757 in 2004 after building 1,050 of them.
“I would say this: As long as there’s plenty of 757s flying around in other forms with other airlines and such, it’s less of a challenge right now,” said Captain Duval. “But as they get older and there’s less of them and there’s less parts available, people just don’t have the interest to keep these aircraft in service. When this happens, that will be even more of a challenge from its age.”
This being said, Honeywell’s 757 has proven itself to be a very, very reliable aircraft with lots of availability time. “We have a great group of mechanics and staff here that keep it up to date and keep the airplane operating,” Captain Duval said. “There’s also the fact that we only put a couple of hundred hours a year on it, when the 757 was built to fly in an airline and get many more hours flown on it in a year. We’re not inducing that same wear and tear on the aircraft, and updating it is — at least from the avionics perspective — actually easy for us because we’re using Honeywell equipment for the flight management system, the weather radar, Datalink, and anything else that might be a new kind of communication or navigation tool.”
As for the day when Honeywell needs to replace its 757 test bed? Given how well maintained this airframe is, plus the fact that B52 bombers made in the 1960s remain in service — as do some DC-3s built three decades earlier — it seems reasonable to assume that N757HW has lots of life left in it yet.
“We’re not looking for a replacement,” said Captain Duval. “We don’t feel like this is necessary yet. It will take us a few years to get through the analysis and figure out what we would want to replace it with, but we haven’t done that yet because we feel like we’ll be able to operate this airplane for quite a long time.”
Meanwhile, Captain Duval and his team are looking ahead to N757HW’s future missions. “In the foreseeable future, I expect to be testing Honeywell’s electrical propulsion systems using fuel cells, batteries, or other power generation capabilities that Honeywell is involved in creating,” he said. “So, we’re adapting the plane to support those activities. As well, there’s continued work with all the satellite communications systems being launched, and the terminals that access them.”
The bottom line: Honeywell’s 757 test bed has proven itself to be a reliable, flexible, and robust testing platform for the last 15 years, and its future looks just as promising.
4D Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Onto Innovation Inc., has installed and commissioned a 4Di InSpec AT automated inspection system at a leading aerospace engine manufacturer’s engineering facility. The system will be transferred to full production in the next quarter.
“We developed the 4Di InSpec AT in conjunction with leading aerospace and aviation engine manufacturers, to dramatically improve the measurement process,” said Erik Novak, general manager of 4D Technology. “By improving measurement accuracy, the system greatly reduces rework and scrap due to rejection of actual good parts. Additionally, it improves inspection throughput by several orders of magnitude, saving critical labor and providing rapid production feedback to improve part quality.”
Aircraft and aerospace engine components may have dozens of critical specifications for chamfers and rounding, for performance and lifetime optimization. These numerous features are time-consuming to measure manually. Difficult-to-access areas must be replicated in order to measure, which further increases cycle time.
The 4Di InSpec AT system combines the industry-leading 4D InSpec surface gauge with a collaborative robot for non-contact measurement of edge break, chamfer, and round-off, and surface defects such as pits, scratches, and dents on aerospace parts. With measurements that take seconds, versus many minutes or hours by manual methods, the automated system substantially increases measurement throughput and labor utilization. The ability to measure features in difficult locations further improves inspection quality.
“The 4D InSpec surface gage has been widely adopted for aviation and aerospace manufacturing and MRO (rework/repair),” said Novak. “That leading manufacturers are now automating this technology into inline production underscores its high value to the industry.”
Highlights of the 4Di InSpec AT include:
Measure dozens of edge break features, chamfers, radii, and defects in minutes rather than days
Non-contact, 3D measurement with micrometer-level resolution
Patented vibration-immune technology enables measurement on the shop floor
Purpose-built software flags out-of-spec measurements and automatically remeasures the locations
Integration with Fanuc CRX 5iA or CRX10iA/L collaborative robots
Ability to measure internal as well as external shaft features via fold mirrors and compact probe design.
Optional rotary table for improved throughput
Numerous safety features including a fully enclosed cell.
RTX announced progress by Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace on advancing hybrid-electric propulsion through the Scalable Turboelectric Powertrain Technology (STEP-Tech) demonstrator, which completed its first engine run and electrical system integration test. As a modular and scalable demonstrator platform, STEP-Tech is intended for rapid prototyping of distributed propulsion concepts applicable to a wide range of next generation applications, including advanced air mobility vehicles, high-speed eVTOL and blended wing body aircraft.
“Hybrid-electric propulsion is a key part of RTX’s roadmap for enabling more sustainable aviation, with the potential to enhance efficiency across many future aircraft applications, from advanced air mobility to regional aircraft and single-aisles,” said Mark Russell, chief technology officer, RTX. “Harnessing deep expertise from Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and Raytheon Technologies Research Center in the fields of both aircraft propulsion and electrical systems, RTX is leading the development of hybrid-electric technology through multiple demonstration programs, including STEP-Tech.”
Conducted at the Raytheon Technologies Research Center in East Hartford, Conn., the successful test included the first run of STEP-Tech’s turbogenerator loaded at partial power. This was followed by an electrical system test where the battery and supercapacitor energy storage systems were integrated with the high voltage distribution system. STEP-Tech will next progress testing to a full-power turbogenerator run and validation of the electric fans (propulsors) through the high voltage electrical system.
RTX is also advancing hybrid-electric propulsion as part of its hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program, supported by the governments of Canada and Quebec, and the Sustainable Water-Injecting Turbofan Comprising Hybrid-Electrics (SWITCH) consortium, supported by the European Union’s Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking.
These demonstrator programs are part of a companywide strategy to develop a broad portfolio of sustainable aviation technologies, leveraging collaboration across RTX’s business units and through wider industry and public-private partnerships. The strategy recognizes the importance of continually advancing aircraft efficiency and enabling wider use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels to support the industry’s goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions for civil aviation by 2050.
