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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EnduroSharp®Nonmetallic (Torlon®) Aircraft Maintenance Tools

June 30, 2022  |  , , , ,

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

The lack of reliable and effective nonmetallic material removal tools available to maintainers drove the continued use of unapproved tools and/or methods for removing materials from aerospace vehicles. The use of metallic tools has resulted in damage to vehicles, both short term and long term, causing the need for expensive repairs and reduction in vehicle availability.

Because of this need, The University of Dayton Research Institute under contract to the Air Force Research Laboratory developed a series of nonmetallic material removal tools under the “EnduroSharp” trademark manufactured from Torlon thermoplastic manufactured by Solvay Engineered Plastics and produced by Performance Plastics of Cincinnati OH.

Attached is the published white paper outlining the development of the “EnduroSharp®” line of Torlon® non-metallic aircraft maintenance tools.  In this paper you will find:

  • Abstract
  • Background
  • Prototype Development Path
    • Gap Filler Removal Bits
    • Torlon Scraper Blades
    • Torlon Gap Blades
  • Results
  • Conclusions

To review the white paper in full, please click here.

EnduroSharp® Products are currently approved for use by numerous governmental and corporate defense organizations including the USAF, USMC, USN, USCG, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Dassault.

EnduroSharp® Products are now available as individual components, tools and consumables or as Aviation Kits.

For more information on the EnduroSharp® line or Torlon® Aircraft Maintenance Tools, please contact our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or visit our website at www.performanceplastics.com/endurosharp.

 

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EnduroSharp® Torlon® Scraper Blades and Gap Blades – What’s the Difference?

June 23, 2022  |  , , ,

 

EnduroSharp(R) Gap Blades & Adapter

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

Scraper blades are designed for use in larger areas where a large quantity of material needs to be removed. Made from a non-marring Torlon® material the blades are a quick, safe and effective method of removing sealants and adhesives from composite structures.

Gap blades are designed for use in smaller grooves and channels where scraper blades are too large.  With a multi head edge, gap blades offer the ability to eliminate materials from multiple surfaces of the seam.

Technicians often use a scraper blade in applications where a gap blade will deliver a quicker, cleaner result.  While the scraper blade offers one cutting edge, the gap blades offer three, allowing the removal of sealants and adhesives from the surfaces more completely.                                                   

The tools are designed to complement each other.  By using an adapter tool, both the scraper blades and gap blades can be used with the same handle.  This provides the technician the ability to switch the blades based on the progression in the removal process.

Using the adapter also allows for the application of flexible incremental skiving techniques when removing sealants and adhesives.  Incremental skiving involves the technique of removing subsequent thin layers of material to achieve a cleaner finish.  The technician can switch back and forth between the blades as needed.

The EnduroSharp® scraper and gap blades are just a few of the many products offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed for our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected], more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp(R) Scraper Blade & Holder Kit

June 7, 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 scraper tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutter, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line even consists of kits containing all of the parts and sizes that you will need.

The EnduroSharp® Scraper Blade & Holder Kit is one of the most popular kits ordered. This kit includes the standard scraper blade holder, pocket scraper blade holder, and 2 scraper blades of each size. EnduroSharp® Torlon® Scraper Blade (TSB) inserts come in 5 different sizes, TSB-170, TSB-230, TSB-500, TSB-750, and TSB-1200. The blades slide and lock into the detent pin of the standard scraper blade holder handle, to easily alternate between the sizes as needed. This kit also contains the pocket scraper blade holder for use of the scraper blades in smaller areas.

The EnduroSharp® Scraper Blade & Holder kit is just one of the kits offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed for our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected], more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

 

 

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Come See Our New EnduroSharp(R) ABNIR “Lil ABNIR” Essential Surface Prep Kit at MRO Americas 2022

April 13, 2022  |  ,

Performance Plastics – Booth 4940

MRO Americas – Dallas, TX – April 26th thru April 28th

EnduroSharp(R) 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 non-metallic tools that will not damage composite structures during use.

The new, ABNIR “Lil ABNIR” Essential Surface Prep Kit features a selection of commonly used tools with an improved design. Featuring a smaller, lighter case, it is easier to store and is an efficient tool kit for aircraft maintenance. The tools are ideal to remove adhesives, sealants and coatings from aircraft structures.

The patented EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutter, bits, and discs for removal of substances on aircraft, windmill blades, boat/marine and automotive.

Performance Plastics is a custom precision injection molder of high performance, tight tolerance thermoplastic components. We specialize in geometrically complex precision parts that consist of chemically inert materials. Our expertise led to the development of our patented EnduroSharp® line of Aircraft Maintenance Tools.

For more information on the Enhanced EnduroSharp® “Lil ABNIR” ABNIR Surface Prep Kit, or any of our EnduroSharp® product line, please contact Rich Reed at [email protected] or our website at www.performanceplastics.com.

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The Tools That Should Be In Your Maintainer’s Toolboxes

March 30, 2022  |  , ,

Look in any aircraft maintainer’s toolbox and you’re sure to find a few items that aren’t offered in any aviation supply catalog. You’ll probably find a sharpened putty knife, scribe, or utility blade that the maintainer uses to remove gap materials, sealants and adhesives from aircraft substrates and fasteners.

While these items may offer a short-term solution, there are two basic problems with these items.  One, they simply don’t work very well and require a lot of muscle (and time) to use. The second is that the ones made of metal greatly increase the risk of damaging many aircraft substrates.

What aircraft mechanics need for these jobs are tools that are hard enough to hold an edge and that can be re-sharpened readily, but which won’t damage the underlying surface. That’s why Performance Plastics partnered with high-performance polymer supplier Solvay Specialty Polymers, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Systems Support Division (AFRL/RXS) and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) to develop the EnduroSharp® line of aircraft maintenance tools.

EnduroSharp™ aircraft maintenance tools are expertly designed and molded from a high-performance polymer, Torlon® polyamide-imide (PAI) resin. These tools prevent the kind of damage to metallic and nonmetallic components or substrates that improvised metal tools can cause.

EnduroSharp tools are approved for use on USAF, USMC, USN and other foreign military aerospace systems. They are well suited for removing elastomeric coatings, boots, tapes, sealants, adhesives, gap fillers and tape residue from fiber-reinforced composite, plastic, glass, ceramic or metal substrates and fasteners. To remove material faster, the blades can also be used with heat- or chemical-assisted skiving processes, in which materials are carefully removed one thin layer at a time.

For more information and to see our EnduroSharp® tools in action, please visit the EnduroSharp section of our website or watch our demo EnduroSharp Demo on YouTube.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® C-130 Prop Hub Adhesive Removal Kit

February 23, 2022  |  , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners.

Adhesively bonded surfaces are increasingly being utilized in the manufacture of aerospace structures, with extensive use in securing removable maintenance access panels.

Traditionally, aerospace maintenance professionals removed adhesives by using unreliable items such as scrapers, files, or grinders.  This proved very inefficient because the removal was often uneven leading to failure.

The EnduroSharp® C-130 Prop Hub Adhesive Material Removal Kit comes complete with case with custom foam inserts that contains:

  • 2 each pneumatic tools,
  • 1 each Class I, Division 2 flashlight,
  • 1 each contoured sharpening fixture (requires 120 – 180 grit abrasive paper, sold separately)
  • 4 each EnduroSharp® Torlon® Scraper Blades (2 each left hand and 2 each right hand).

Performance Plastics is a injection molder of high performance, precision, tight tolerance thermoplastic resins. We specialize in geometrically complex precision parts that consist of chemically inert materials. Our expertise led to the development of our patented EnduroSharp® line of Aircraft Maintenance Tools.

For more information on the EnduroSharp® C-130 Prop Hub Adhesive Remove Kit or any of our EnduroSharp® product line, please contact Rich Reed at [email protected] or visit our website at www.performanceplastics.com

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Lil’ ABNIR Surface Prep Kit

February 9, 2022  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. Introducing the Lil’ ABNIR Kit to the EnduroSharp® line of kits designed specifically for aircraft maintainers.

Adhesively bonded nutplates are increasingly being utilized in the manufacture of aerospace structures, with extensive use in securing removable maintenance access panels.

Precisely designed to work with adhesively bonded nutplates, EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating non-metallic tools that will not damage composite structures during use.

The EnduroSharp® Lil’ ABNIR Surface Prep Kit features a refined selection of commonly used tools with a lighter, easily transportable case. Designed as a two-layer kit, it is light and efficient tool kit for use in aircraft repair. The kit is designed for the maintainer on the go who needs to remove adhesives, sealants and coatings from aircraft structures.

The patented EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutter, bits, and discs for removal of substances on aircraft, windmill blades, boat/marine and automotive.

Performance Plastics is a custom precision injection molder of high performance, tight tolerance thermoplastic components. We specialize in geometrically complex precision parts that consist of chemically inert materials. Our expertise led to the development of our patented EnduroSharp® line of Aircraft Maintenance Tools.

For more information on the EnduroSharp®  Lil’ ABNIR Surface Prep Kit,  or any of our EnduroSharp® product line, please contact Rich Reed at [email protected] or visit our website at www.performanceplastics.com.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Nutplate Abrasion Tool “The NAT”

January 27, 2022  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners.

Adhesively bonded nutplates are increasingly being utilized in the manufacture of aerospace structures, with extensive use in securing removable maintenance access panels.

Traditionally, aerospace maintenance professionals prepared nutplates using manual methods such as abrading files or grinders.  This proved very inefficient because the abrading was often uneven,  leading to adhesively bonded nutplate failure.  While rotary abrasion tools (RATs) where better, they were often bulky and expensive.

That’s why EnduroSharp® developed the Nutplate Abrasion Tool (NAT).   Precisely designed to work with adhesively bonded nutplates, the product consists of a aluminum upper and lower handle and 4 nutplate base inserts.  The product is packaged in a convenient, rugged case which is handy for transporting.

Performance Plastics is a custom precision injection molder of high performance, tight tolerance thermoplastic components. We specialize in geometrically complex precision parts that consist of chemically inert materials. Our expertise led to the development of our patented EnduroSharp® line of Aircraft Maintenance Tools.

For more information on the EnduroSharp® Nutplate Abrasion Tool,  or any of our EnduroSharp® product line, please contact Rich Reed at [email protected] or visit our website at www.performanceplastics.com.

 

Operation of the Nutplate Abrasion Tool

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All About the EnduroSharp ABNIR Surace Prep Kit

January 12, 2022  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners.

Adhesively bonded nutplates are increasingly being utilized in the manufacture of aerospace structures, with extensive use in securing removable maintenance access panels.

Precisely  designed to work with adhesively bonded nutplates, EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating non-metallic tools that will not damage composite structures during use.

The EnduroSharp® ABNIR Surface Prep Kit features a selection of commonly used tools with an improved design. Featuring a specifically designed multi-layer case, it is easy and efficient tool kit for use in aircraft repair. The tools are ideal to remove adhesives, sealants and coatings from aircraft structures.

The patented EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutter, bits, and discs for removal of substances on aircraft, windmill blades, boat/marine and automotive.

Performance Plastics is a custom precision injection molder of high performance, tight tolerance thermoplastic components. We specialize in geometrically complex precision parts that consist of chemically inert materials. Our expertise led to the development of our patented EnduroSharp® line of Aircraft Maintenance Tools.

For more information on the EnduroSharp®  ABNIR Surface Prep Kit,  or any of our EnduroSharp® product line, please contact Rich Reed at [email protected] or visit our website at www.performanceplastics.com.

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