Metal Improvement Company (MIC) works closely with OEM designers, engineers and maintenance teams to understand their specific design and operating criteria. We are then able to offer high quality and cost effective solutions to achieve the best results.
CONTROLLED SHOT PEENING
Component failure is often related to residual tensile stress induced during manufacture. Controlled shot peening is a cost effective and practical method of inducing beneficial surface residual compressive stresses which enhance the performance and extend the life of critical components preventing premature failure. Controlled shot peening is a cold working process where the component’s surface is bombarded with small spherical particles to yield the base material, relieving prior manufacturing stresses and inducing beneficial residual compressive stresses. This also reduces the effect of the applied load, thereby increasing the capability of the component to achieve longer life at higher loads.
ON-SITE PROCESSING
Controlled shot peening is applied during original manufacture and it may be necessary during the lifetime of those components to re-introduce beneficial residual compressive stresses lost through corrosion, erosion, wear and potentially thermal or stress overload to the same specification as initially applied ensuring identical performance. MIC has specialist field crews who are able to perform on-site work at customers’ premises or in the field anywhere in the world to the same high quality standards as initially applied via fully mechanised or robotic processing.
SHOT PEEN FORMING
Shot peen forming is the preferred method of forming complex aerodynamic contours. This process is ideal for forming wing skins and empennage panels for even the largest aircraft. The effect of pressure from the peening process causes local plastic deformation that manifests itself as a residual compressive stress. This combined with the localised stretching causes the material to develop a compound convex curvature on the peened side. An extension of this approach will also correct the form of complex parts distorted during machining and/or heat treatment.
C.A.S.E (ISOTROPIC FINISHING)
C.A.S.E. superfinishing of components is critical in applications of metal to metal contact such as gears and bearings. The technique has been developed for surfaces that require both excellent bending and contact fatigue strength with enhanced surface properties to resist high loading. The process is generally applied after controlled shot peening to remove surface asperities resulting in improved performance and lubrication and reducing critical factors such as wear, micro and macro pitting, noise and operating temperatures.
LASER PEENING
Laser peening can introduce residual compressive stresses in all engineering metallic materials up to 10 times deeper than other conventional cold working techniques with virtually no surface disruption. This clean and extremely controllable process is a production tool providing significant benefits where product performance is critical. Laser peening offers designers the ability to surgically place residual compressive stress into key areas of components to retard crack initiation and growth, enabling increased fatigue strength ratings.
THERMAL SPRAY
We provide a range of thermal spray coatings used to provide protection from high temperatures, oxidation and corrosion. It can also be used as a replacement for hard chrome plating. Components such as turbine blades can also be brought back to OEM specifications with the application of thermal spray coatings.
ENGINEERED COATINGS
For many years we have been providing the aerospace and defence industry with a comprehensive range of coatings to enhance performance and extend the life of components. Selection of the appropriate coating can improve part life and reduce maintenance costs. Many of our coatings are qualified to aerospace and defence specifications.
In addition to our range of standard coatings we have the in-house ability to design and develop bespoke high performance coating products tailored to meet customers’ individual requirements.
Our range of coatings provide:
- Resistance to corrosion, chemical and environmental attack
- Resistance to erosion and galling
- High lubricity / low friction
- High release / anti-stick
- Low noise / anti squeak
- Shielding to EM/RF radiation
- Aerospace aluminized coatings
- Parylene conformal coatings
- Pre-treatments including Ti anodising, phosphate conversion coating and chilled iron blasting, aluminum oxide blasting and vapour degreasing
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