PPG Aerospace, SMRC develop system for precoating aviation
fasteners
Sealant-coated fasteners save time, labor; improve qualityPARIS, June 18, 2007 -- PPG Aerospace - PRC-DeSoto and Systems and Materials Research Corp. (SMRC), Austin, Texas, are developing a system for precoating aircraft fasteners used in wet installation to provide labor savings and enhanced quality, according to the companies’ officials. PPG and SMRC have signed a letter of intent to partner on the development of the QwikSeal™ system, a process in which sealant is preapplied to aircraft fasteners, according to John Sands, PPG Aerospace global business platform manager, sealants. “Sealant is typically hand-applied to aircraft fasteners before installation to reduce corrosion and provide a moisture or fuel barrier,” Sands said. “With airplanes having hundreds of thousands – in many cases millions – of fasteners, it’s an extremely labor-intensive process, and quality is highly variable. This unique approach of precoating the fastener with cure-arrested sealant has the potential to reduce labor by up to 20 percent over conventional wet installation and with consistent quality.” In the QwikSeal™ system, cure-arrested sealant is machine-applied to the fastener, then overcoated with a moisture-barrier coating that prevents it from curing until the fastener is installed, Sands explained. When the fastener is driven into the metal or composite, the installation stresses crush the coating, allowing the sealant to fully cure. Sands said the sealant-coated fasteners are undergoing further testing and factory evaluation before commercialization. The technology represents a totally new approach that combines PPG’s aerospace sealant expertise with SMRC’s nanotechnology and materials science core competencies, Sands said. Fasteners can be precoated with PPG’s polysulfide, polythioether or non-chromated sealants. “Conventional wet installation is a headache for airframers and maintainers,” said Gary Schmidt, SMRC’s vice president of product development. “With the QwikSeal system, we will simplify their lives and take a lot of the touch labor and waste out of the process for installing and sealing fasteners. Just about any kind of fastener, solid, threaded or blind, can be preprocessed with no changes to the hole, the fastener or the tooling.” Information about the QwikSeal™ system is available from the PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto sealants experts during the Paris Air Show at the PPG Aerospace display at Hall 2B, Stand H6. The Paris Air Show is June 18-24 at Le Bourget Airport. PPG Aerospace, SMRC develop system for precoating aviation fasteners –2PPG Aerospace is the aerospace products and services business of PPG Industries. PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto is the leading global producer and distributor of aerospace coatings, sealants, and packaging and application systems. PPG Aerospace – Transparencies is the world’s largest supplier of aircraft windshields, windows and canopies. About PPGPittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, chemicals, optical products, specialty materials, glass and fiber glass. The company employs more than 30,000 people and has 125 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates in more than 20 countries. Sales in 2006 were $11 billion. PPG shares on the New York and Philadelphia stock exchanges (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com. About Systems and Materials Research Corp.Austin, Texas-based Systems and Materials Research Corp. is a technology and development company with technical expertise in next-generation transparent armor, microwave nondestructive evaluation tools and nanocomposite-based aerospace sealants and coatings. Its Austin, Spicewood and San Marcos, Texas, operations include research and development laboratories and prototype and low-volume production facilities. QwikSeal™ is a trademark of Systems and Materials Research Corp. For more information, contact: PRC-DeSoto International, Inc. Contact: Jean Verlich Systems and Materials Contact: David Sung |
