Shot blast room strips rotor blades quicker
Article Type: Methods From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 55, Issue 2.
Helicopter rotor blade repairer, composite technology, reports higher productivity levels in stripping helicopter rotor blades for refurbishment,since having had installed a bespoke 10 x 2.4 x 2.4m blastroom from the Wheelabrator Group two months ago. The production manager at Composite Technology, Chris Satchwell, said: “The new blastroom speeds up the process of stripping paints from aluminium as well as composite substrates,giving us better quality, and a more consistent finish.” He continued:“We previously performed this function with orbital sanding machines, but these were quite slow and laborious so absorbed a lot of man- hours. Where it could take up to a whole day to strip one blade, the blastroom finishes the job in a little over two hours. We're extremely pleased with our purchase and after specialist training have already seen our production efficiency increase.”At up to 10m in length, rotor blades are made of lightweight materials, making them too long and fragile for traditional blast machines.
UK field sales manager at Wheelabrator Group, Rob Goodwin, said: “We're delighted to have been able to help Composite Technology improve the efficiency of its operation with a new blastroom. As well as increasing efficiency by providing faster and better results, Composite Technology can now allocate the man-hours previously consumed by this arduous task to more value added activities. Blastrooms are becoming increasingly popular in the UK as they are bespoke to each customers individual needs so offer greater flexibility and versatility.” The externally sited blastroom, which uses plastics abrasive, is a fully-mobile system. It includes equipment housing and compressor in one unit without foundation work.
For further information, please visit the web site: www.wheelabratorgroup.com
