MRO 2008 Show News Briefing - April 7, 2008 - (Page 12)

COMPOSITES Room for the Little Guy? There Is If He’s Willing to Fill a Niche Need “We supply the aerospace industry with the hard-to-get materials,” says Kevin Fochtman, president of Pacific Coast Composites (Booth 206). The Lakewood, Wash.-based company is a re-packager and distributor of materials from 3M including fibers and wovens that are pre-impregnated with polymer resins (composite prepreg), and adhesives suitable for holding composite and metal parts together. PC Composites speKevin Fochtman. cializes in AOG, or aircraft-on-ground work, serving operators who, usually because of accidental damage, find themselves in need of composite materials in a hurry. Such operators also, in many cases, because of globalization and the large economies of scale practiced by OEMs, are finding themselves out of luck. “We stock certified material and we ship it out to them the next day,” Fochtman says. “We are dedicated to providing an alternative to high cost and long lead times that are commonly associated with the use of advanced composites,” his company pledges, bringing “rapid action response”—and competitive pricing. “We fill a niche,” Fochtman says. PC Composites is now undergoing a Boeing-3M audit which he says will lead to ISO 9200 certification. With that, he says, “We’re going to be able to serve more of the Boeing aftermarket business.” The company also offers basic composite, advanced composite and metal bond courses for maintenance technicians, as well as blue print interpretation, lay-up basics, assembly techniques and production management lean principals for composite manufacturing and production shops. 12 Comtek Bought by Avcorp Ontario’s Comtek Advanced Structures, a repairs specialist with particular expertise in composites and bonded metals, comes to MRO 2008 with a new owner, as Vancouver’s Avcorp closed its final acquisition of Comtek in January (the deal was disclosed last year). Comtek says it’s provided repair services for commercial airlines in North America and Europe, as well as performing advanced design and manufacturing work for customers including Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney, Goodrich, Honeywell and General Electric. The firm claims low-cost composites fabrication knowhow, including proprietary resin infusion technology. Comtek is at Booth 2701. WichiTech’s Better Bonders Baltimore-based WichiTech Industries is promoting a new addition to its line of HB-2 dual-zone hot-bonding control units for composite repair operations. The F4HB2005E, says WichiTech president Steve Caldwell, is hermetically sealed, making it intrinsically explosion-proof with no vacuum or pressure hoses. “Our bonder is more portable, making it easier to setup and use,” he told Show News. Nine F4HB2005E units have already been sold to the U.S. Air Force, Caldwell says, for use at five different repair locations. WichiTech also offers heating blankets, vacuum gauges, and damage-detection equipment. Booth 2612. M.C. Gill’s New Airbus, Boeing Quals California composite panel specialist M.C. Gill reports new qualifications for Nomex honeycomb core materials, allowing the firm to meet broader requirements for both Airbus and Boeing. Gill is now qualified under the Airbus AIMS 11-01-001 Nomex specification, and has added three Gill core brand materials to Boeing’s BMS 8-124 specification. Gill says it’s expanding its Nomex and Kevlar honeycomb machining capabilities at its Alcore Brigantine facility in France. The El Monte-based firm (Booth 1311) supplies composite panel repair kits too. Evans Techs Are Qualified, All of Them Evans Composites has received FAA’s Diamond recognition, meaning that all of its technicians are officially qualified. “This is the first year that we’ve gotten 100% of the company technicians certified,” says Evans president and accountability manager Scott Lawson. Evans’ business strategy is to use partnerships with suppliers and customers to reduce project costs. The Mansfield, Texas-based company holds FAA Repair Station designation E16R230X. Booth 2602. Heatcon Handles Diversi-Tech Snorkels Seattle’s Heatcon is promoting downdraft dust collection tables. The tables and dust collecting snorkels, including the Fred line (Filtration, Re-usable filters, Energy savings, Dramatically reduced pollution), are manufactured by Canada’s Diversi-Tech, which is with Heatcon at Booth 2509. Heatcon is also promoting silicone heating blankets and data capture/analysis software for composite cures. April, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

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MRO 2008 Show News Briefing - April 7, 2008 Contents PBL and Partnerships Delta-Chromalloy PMA Reverse Engineering? Straighter, Rounder Regionals Buck the Trend Composites Loom Large Freighters and Cargo

MRO 2008 Show News Briefing - April 7, 2008

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