Metal tubes manufacturer, Fine Tubes, is working in partnership with other Western suppliers on the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.
The company has fabricated and supplied 6000m of nickel alloy 625 and stainless steel 321 tubing for use in the production of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100’s SaM146 engine, developed by NPO Saturn. The SSJ100 is a new template of aircraft; the engine and airframe have been designed together to offer increased levels of economy, performance and environmental efficiency.
Work began in 2000 to create a jet with significantly lower running costs than other commercial planes. This project has been a huge priority to the Russian and French governments since the beginning, aiming to provide ecologically responsible yet high performing engines for the commercial jet market. Sukhoi’s offering is aimed at not only the Russian market, but also intends to compete with Western commercial aircrafts.
Fine Tubes’ role in supporting NPO Saturn in the creation of this jet engine has helped the SaM146 offer a simplified, streamlined and fail-safe design. The chosen tubing material, nickel alloy 625, has a history of use in chemical processes because of its great resistance to a huge scale of temperatures and pressures, but these qualities also make it perfect for use in aerospace engineering.
