PVD or CVD coating fan blades has two important affects. First, it maintains the surface finish of the blade for much longer by significantly reducing wear. Second, coatings make the surface finish smoother for better fuel efficiency.

Aerospace engine components operate in extreme conditions, so the bond strength of coatings like PVD and CVD needs to be maximised.

We’ve just finished our Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) on a large automatic Leopard Horizontal wet blasting machine destined for a leading aerospace MRO operation in the Middle East.

This machine is capable or processing all sorts of large aerospace components (e.g. large wheels, fan blades, fan discs, etc.) for MRO related applications like preparation for NDT crack detection.

Consider the fir tree slots of a jet engine disk. They are critical jet engine components and need to be maintained to a very high standard because…

• Fir tree slots are precisely machined interlocking mechanisms that hold turbine blade roots securely to the disc. Proper maintenance ensures a tight fit, preventing the blades from vibrating excessively or detaching during operation. This is crucial for engine safety and performance.

Wet blasting is highly suited to cleaning, de-painting, and preparing metal, composite, and polymer AM aerospace components for NDT or coatings like paints and oils.

It is also particularly effective at clearing powder, partially sintered powder, and other contaminants from the complex internal channels that are often a feature of AM components, giving a visual indication that the channel is clear when blast media appears.

Thanks to its high strength-to-weight ratio, fatigue and corrosion resistance, and many other reasons, carbon fibre is widely used in aerospace.

Wet blasting has several applications for aerospace carbon fibre components:

As well as peening turbine and fan blades, wet blasting can be used to prepare the following engine components for NDT inspection by cleaning and / or coatings:

• Exterior surfaces like the outer casing of engines and other accessible exterior parts

• Fan and turbine discs

• Blisks

• Driveshafts

• Compressor blades and vanes

• Turbine blades and vanes

• Engine housings and casings