Components and services will be on show at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow, with trade days taking place on 9-13th July.
Described as an iconic global aviation event, the Farnborough International Airshow takes place every two years, with a mix of trade and public days. In fact during the 2010 event, 120,000 trade visitors attended and US$47 billion worth of orders were announced, states the organiser. This year, the trade days take place on 9-13th July, with the following weekend (14-15th) opened up to the public.
There will be a series of themed conferences this year. The Aerospace and Space conferences will be held on Tuesday 10th, while the Defence and Security conferences will be on Wednesday 11th. In response to demand, each conference will address the key issues within these sectors and will bring together leading industry figures and government officials.
Exhibitors
Among the many exhibitors attending the airshow this year is Amphenol, which will be launching its High Power Single Pole Connector. This combines the benefits of field proven MIL-DTL-38999 Series III circular connectors with hyperbolic contacts.
The Rhino 38999 Series connector
is designed to meet the latest military and industrial specifications plus stringent safety requirements. The use of RADSOK contacts creates an electrical interface that exceeds typical interconnect requirements via a hyperbolic socket contact construction which distributes normal forces over a high percentage of the mating surface to ensure a smooth and even engagement force with high performance under vibration. The Series also provides IP2X finger protection on both plugs and receptacles.
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions will be focusing on innovations that are helping aircraft manufacturers tackle the challenges of reliability over an increased service life, improved fuel efficiency and weight reduction. Products on show will include: a
fluoroelastomer with outstanding high temperature performance and proven thermal stability; a high performance thermoplastic polymer to meet the increasing environmental demands in aerospace hydraulic actuation; and an aerospace specific silicone, typically 20% lighter than standard silicones used for aerospace seals.
Lee Products will be exhibiting its full range of microhydraulic components – such as Lee plugs, restrictors, check valves, solenoid valves, flow controls, etc. But, it will also be displaying two new products for the first time at Farnborough. The first is the CB (Cartridge Bobbin) solenoid valve which has been added to the company’s range of miniature fluid control valves and was developed specifically for high volume aerospace applications.
This tough, durable valve, which weighs just 73g and measures only 45mm in length with a diameter of 32mm, is designed for applications with a temperature range of -54°C to +135°C. The Hi-Q valve, meanwhile, is for flow control applications that require a high relief pressure and a high flow rate in a compact package. This is suited to critical flow applications including aero engine fuel pumps, aircraft flight controls, etc.
OPEN MIND Technologies will be demonstrating its expertise in the aerospace industry through its hyperMILL CAM package which now has a 5-Axis Shape Offset Roughing and Finishing feature. This module is suitable for curved parts such as aero engine or pump housing parts. Where CAM processes consist of multiple program steps that consequently create additional programmer input and a very high overall programming effort, OPEN MIND is said to be the first CAM manufacturer to develop a strategy specifically for five-axis shape offset machining. For programming times that have previously been two to three hours, end users can eliminate time consuming tasks to program the parts in a matter of minutes.
Another exhibitor is Sapa, a provider of extruded aluminium profiles that has a dedicated business that provides bespoke access platforms. Sapa Profiles produces, lightweight access systems for safe working at height, and the company has developed a ‘flat pack’ option that offers significant cost savings to clients. The flat-pack product is space-saving and therefore simpler to ship. However, once assembled, functionality, strength, sustainability and safety are comparable with a traditional, pre-assembled system.
TT electronics Technology will be showing the HALOSENSOR drill targeting system in action. This range can accurately locate blind holes even in complex or curved structures such as aircraft wing assemblies. By eliminating the need for pilot holes to be drilled from the inside, a major cause of re-work or scrap is avoided. The rugged HALOSENSOR range includes the NANO devices that can cope with tighter radius curved surfaces or situations of limited access. The standard range can accurately locate blind holes from 2mm to 100mm. A number of aerospace manufacturers have already adopted the system.
Unison will be using the event to highlight the benefits of all-electric tube bending machines for precision aerospace manufacturing applications.
Among the demands that Unison’s machines are meeting today in the aerospace sector are: supporting fabrication processes that must manufacture
ultra-precise parts in very small batches – typically without generating any scrap; bending exceptionally complex part shapes in a single stage; bending expensive exotic alloy tubing such as titanium with wall thicknesses as fine as 0.9mm; and eliminating jig-based inspection processes. The company will also be highlighting an innovative quick-change tooling system.
Metal improvement specialist, Wallwork Group, is using the Farnborough Airshow to showcase new processes designed to extend the service life and improve performance of critical aerospace components. The company has developed metal treatments that will achieve substantial in-flight fuel savings, sustained performance between scheduled maintenance and extend service life to reduce life-time costs for operators.
Nitron Flight is a family of multi-layer coatings based on titanium, chromium, chromium/aluminium or carbon/metal carbide. Coating systems are applicable to aircraft components including landing gear, engine bearings, engine compressor sections and high temperature engine seals.
