Problem
An air cargo company was facing increasing concerns with replacing structural components with the older aircraft of their fleet.
- Parts can be fabricated in-house but must be heat treated for desired hardness and strength
- Modern aerospace pyrometry requirements make this process more intimidating
- Heat treating is outsourced which increases our costs due to expense of vendor and expediting fees
- Lead time was 3-5 days when the actual “process time” for heat treating a part ranged from 9-25 hours typically
- Due to the critical nature of the parts, we could make 2-3 of them and hope that at least one would come back that could be placed on an aircraft
Solution
The cargo company decided to in-source heat treating.Upon deciding to purchase a new oven the cargo company found four manufacturers that could provide a unit capable of processing their parts, but one, “the DELTA H Dual Chamber Furnace / Oven had features that made the others pale in comparison“.
- Built specifically for aerospace pyrometry and aviation grade aluminum heat treating
- Low temperature aging oven on top with high temperature solution heat treating furnace on bottom
- Roll-away quench tank
- Over / Under design features reduce the required footprint – where space is a premium in our sheet metal back shop
- Certified working volume of 24″ wide, 16″ high and 72″ deep would accommodate 95% of our parts
- Made in the USA
Results
The DELTA H field engineer spent over a week providing full training to our staff including operators, QC personnel, and “Trainers” who became certified by DELTA H to train operators and QC personnel as qualified. DELTA H provided a very comprehensive operating manual including all forms and all certifications necessary for compliance to AMS-2750E. As a result of the investment in a DELTA H system, the company saw:
- Elimination of AOG issues due to heat treating – a savings of $50K to $150K per day
- Savings from out-sourcing and expediting fees
- Rapid ROI of less than a year
- Accelerating C check TAT per aircraft
It is reasonable to say that the actual ROI could be as little as one week and for what the DELTA H Furnace means to our company – it is priceless!
Problem
A major aircraft parts manufacturer needed a large capacity furnace for solution heat treating parts of sheet metal, lightweight and varying in size but up to 10 feet long and 3 feet wide and/or 2 feet high.
Solution
The parts manufacturer had a choice between a drop-bottom furnace and a DELTA H single chamber furnace. The drop-bottom furnace required a significantly large footprint as well as height in the facility. In comparison to a drop-bottom furnace, a manual quench DELTA H furnace had virtually no moving parts other than the fan which translated to no maintenance concerns. The drop-bottom furnace had:
- The basket and cable system for lowering the load
- The drive system for the tank
- An additional crane for removing parts from the quench
The DELTA H furnace was also a fraction of the cost compared to the drop-bottom furnace and provided everything needed to meet production requirements for a leading manufacturer’s aircraft parts.
Results
This system has been in production since 2010 and as a result the company has seen:
- No lost production time due to maintenance issues
- Consistency in meeting all TUS requirements with precision temperature control
- 10 feet long parts being quenched in just under 3 seconds
Additionally, the system features “Aging Mode” which allows the furnace “to behave like an oven” and meet aerospace pyrometry standards down to 220°F.
Problem
A major Northwest USA MRO was losing production time and money by outsourcing their heat treating.
Solution
The company decided to in-source heat treating with a DELTA H furnace.
Results
The Vice President of the company is elated stating “The DELTA H system delivered exactly what was promised.” With their furnace, the company has seen:
- A system which performs flawlessly with no breakdowns
- No lost production time or TAT due to heat treating
- A significant decrease in heat treating expenses
- AOGs prevented
- Quality control improved and scrap parts / rework virtually eliminated
In just 11 months the DELTA H Furnace had paid for itself with heat treating expenses alone, but by preventing AOGs, minimizing TAT and improving QC the DELTA H Furnace had an ROI in practically no time. Due to the outstanding performance of their DELTA H Furnace the company is putting an identical system in a new facility in the near future as part of their SOP for aircraft aluminum sheet metal work.