EnduroSharp® Torlon® Aircraft Maintenance Tools – Why Use a Pneumatic Tool

July 27, 2022  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has improved the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners.  EnduroSharp® resharpenable, non-marring tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic blade tool that will not damage composite structures during use.

Many of our EnduroSharp® tools can be used in conjunction with a pneumatic tool.  A pneumatic tool is one that’s driven with the assistance of compressed air rather than electricity.  Pneumatic tools rely on air compressors to provide a burst of air to perform its operation. A pneumatic tool can operate indefinitely as long as the attached air compressor can deliver the required volume and pressure without interruption.

Pneumatic Tools are very strong air powered tools and provide the user with a tremendous amount of labor and time saving torque.

Pneumatic tools provide many advantages:

  • Main advantage is they are far less expensive than their electric alternatives.
  • Provide a degree of safety in wet areas where electric motors can be dangerous.
  • Lighter in weight than their electric counterparts.
  • Pneumatic tools can deliver large amounts of torque or operate for long durations of time.
  • More flexible than electric – nearly all air-driven tools use the same ¼” quick connect fittings.

Generally, pneumatic tools are smaller, more versatile, easy-to-use and safer than traditional electric tools.  Since pneumatic tools are usually lighter, the user is able to have better control and experience less fatigue and strain.  They are also able to withstand various elements such as dust, heat and water better than electric tools.

The EnduroSharp® Pneumatic Tool for Scraper Blades is just one of the many products offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed,  Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected], for more information.

 

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PEEK, PAEK and PEI are Great Alternatives During Material Shortages

July 19, 2022  |  , , , ,

Navigating supply chain issues in this economic environment where there are rampant material shortages is an ongoing challenge. But many commonly used engineered resins may serve well as replacements for your application. Performance Plastics are experts in material selection and can assist your organization in choosing the best material based on the functionality of your part.

PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), PAEK (Polyaryletherketongs) and PEI (Polyetherimide) are high performing engineering thermoplastics that offer a unique combination of thermal stability, chemical resistance, and excellent mechanical properties.

PEEK is extremely tough and has very high impact strength.  Due to the crystalline nature of the material, a high degree of mechanical properties is retained close to their melting temperature.  The also have a low creep and good wear properties.  It is also known for excellent chemical resistant during hydrolysis. PEEK is actively used in metal to plastic replacement applications.

PAEK is a high thermal stability material that offers high strength and high resistance to oxidation. It offers better solvent resistance and is more amorphous based on its semi-crystalline structure.  This makes it an excellent choice for medical components, sea equipment and valve components.

PEI is a high-performance engineering plastic that offers outstanding thermal, mechanical and chemical properties.  It is often the best choice where high mechanical strength is needed in conjunction with high temperature, corrosion and wear resistance. This makes PEI an excellent alternative for applications requiring tight tolerances and low warp such as medical devices, scientific equipment parts and semiconductor equipment components.

Performance Plastics are specialists in high performance plastics engineering for many industries including medical, defense and industrial applications. We partner with our customers to offer solutions to some of the most challenging applications.  For more information, please contact Rich Reed, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at 513.321.8404 or email [email protected].

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All You Need to Know About EnduroSharp Torlon Gap Filler Removal Discs

July 14, 2022  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line also includes a variety of kits containing a selection of parts and sizes.

Traditionally, aerospace maintenance professionals removed sealants and adhesives from  gaps utilizing solvents and/or abrasive scraper tools.  Solvents are very dangerous in that they may dissolve unintended materials, and produce hazardous fumes.  Abrasive scraper tools are often hard to control and may cause unintended substrate damage.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFRD) Discs are designed for use with a pneumatic tool. The tools provide aerospace maintenance professionals with an effective method of safely removing flexibilized epoxy gap materials as well as cutting or scoring thick elastomeric coatings without damaging composite substructures.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFRD) Discs are shipped 4 parts per box.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Discs are just one of the many different items offered in the EnduroSharp® product line. Contact Rich Reed our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected],  for more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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It’s Not Tight Tolerance Unless You Can Measure It – Industrial CT Scanning

July 12, 2022  |  , , ,

As you’re designing and manufacturing your next application, wouldn’t it be ideal if you could analyze all the parts, compare them to the original drawings and get results quickly, without damage? At Performance Plastics, we have the ability to do this through industrial computed tomography (CT) scan. Giving us the ability to measure all aspects of your part, without having to damage it.

Industrial CT scanning gives you access to the inner workings of a part without having to destroy the original. The scanner rotates the part 360 degrees and uses X-rays to create a precise 3D model. This allows for a thorough analysis of object dimensions, porosity, wall thickness, assembly defects, comprehensive comparisons, and reverse engineering.

The CT scan can then be compared to the CAD model and to other parts. Plus, it can easily analyze surface variations and provide cross sections to reveal hidden features.

Performance Plastics now offer a variety of CT scan-related services:

  • Part-to-CAD comparisons create a precise overlay of the scanned part to the original 3D part model database
  • Part-to-part comparisons provide an overlay of two scanned parts to reveal dimensional deviation
  • Void and inclusion analysis provides material and defect analysis showing void or inclusion size and locations
  • Wall thickness analysis measures slight changes in the wall stock of complex parts without destructive testing
  • Dimensional analysis provides full article inspections and reporting
  • Reverse engineering capabilities that generate a 3D CAD file

Industrial CT scanning can be necessary during five different manufacturing stages. When you’re in pre-production, it can help with the project design and analysis. During production, you can use CT scanning to evaluate consistency. At the failure investigation stage, it will find defects. The CT scanner can run repeatability tests when you’re doing inspections. And if you need design adjustments or are doing further R&D, it can help with reverse engineering.

As for what Performance Plastics can handle when CT scanning:

  • Maximum part size is 300mm diameter x 350 mm tall
  • Scan time is typically less than one hour
  • Accuracy (using Calypso) of 9+L/50 microns
  • X-ray-based measurement system is non-contact
  • Parts do not require potting

At Performance Plastics, we are experts in injection molding, specializing in high performance plastics for medical device components. Our proprietary tool design software, processes and equipment enable us to injection mold components having complex geometries made from challenging ultra, high-performance thermoplastic materials, and reinforced compounds.

For more information on Performance Plastic’s capabilities, please contact Rich Reed, Vice President of Sales, and Marketing at 513.321.8404 or email at [email protected]  

 

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