Recently, at Vixen Surface Treatments, the company has been working in partnership with a European aerospace manufacturer to deliver a pre-coat surface treatment line for aerospace transmission components.

For this, the process was already defined within the OEM manufacturing manual. By working in partnership, the company demonstrated how its processes and solutions could adhere to the required manufacturing specifications and deliver a consistent, controllable, and repeatable process continually while also meeting the required throughput.

The process steps needed were as follows:

1. Degrease, rinse, and dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Surface preparation of the components to achieve a reactive surface for better coating adherence.
3. Wash, rinse, and dry prior to coating.

To achieve this, they implemented a two-step process. In many cases, this could be completed as a one-step process, but due to the OEM requirements and aerospace specifications, a thorough pretreatment was necessary.

Step 1 – Degrease

Vixen Surface Treatments supplied the Vixen AgiSonic gantry tank line. This solution is fully customizable, and due to its modular build, it can be specified with the exact number of tanks and stages required to meet the specifications of the process.

In this instance, the tank line was a four-stage process consisting of:

1.Wash/Degrease tank, fitted with:

● Ultrasonics

● Heating

● Oil-water separator

● Constant filtration with a weir

● Closing lid

● Pumped agitation

● Auto-fill

2.First-stage rinse

3.Second-stage rinse

4.Drying stage, fitted with a recirculating dryer to aid flash drying from heated dip stages.

Step 2 – Pre-Coat Surface Treatment via Wet Blasting

For this step, wet blasting is the preferred method for surface preparation due to the inherent benefits of the wet blasting process and automatic solutions. Wet blasting, as a process, is clean, consistent, and highly controllable, providing uniform and repeatable results every time.

The wet blasting process and solutions are used globally for pre-coat processing. Since wet blasting is highly controllable, the process can be precisely defined to meet exact requirements. It leaves surfaces highly reactive, allowing for the highest levels of coating adherence, which enhances protection and extends the usable life of components and tools.

This specific solution and specification were driven by the expertise of Vixen Surface Treatments and the requirements of its customers. As a result, a flexible solution was designed that enables fully automatic processing while also offering the flexibility of a manual processing station.

The wet blasting process involves a media (aluminum oxide in this case) mixed with water and kept in constant suspension to ensure even distribution. This mixture is then pumped to a processing nozzle, where compressed air is introduced before exiting through the processing nozzles and flowing over the component's surface.

To achieve the exact surface requirements—whether it be surface roughness, visual appearance, cleaning, or material removal—there are many parameters that define the process. These include media choice, media concentration, air pressure, nozzle specifications, and other factors that help tailor the process to specific needs.

After processing, the components are automatically rinsed within the wet blasting cabinet.

Step 3 – Rinse & Dry Prior to the Coating Process

For this step, the parts are once again processed through the Vixen AgiSonic gantry tank line. However, not all tanks are utilized this time. The program allows baskets of parts to automatically follow a predefined sequence selected within the HMI. In this case, the parts are rinsed and dried, skipping the wash/degrease stage before being taken directly to the coating process.

For Information: 

Vixen Surface Treatments Ltd 73 Jay Avenue Teesside Industrial Estate Thornaby, Stockton on Tees

TS17 9LZ, UK Tel. +1642.769333

E-mail: chris.owen@vixen.co.uk

www.vixenaquablast.com