Authorised diagnosis and repair facility
for aerospace-approved bearings, provides
fast turn around times for customers

The Barden Corporation (UK) Limited's manufacturing plant in Plymouth is now an authorised diagnosis and repair facility for aerospace-approved bearings, providing fast turn around times for customers.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has now approved The Barden Corporation's manufacturing plant in Plymouth as an authorised diagnosis and repair facility for aerospace-approved bearings.

The plant's new EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) Part-145 approval means that Barden can offer customers rapid turn around times for aerospace-approved bearings, including Level 1 inspection and Level 2 refurbishment.

Brian Williams, Director of Quality, Aerospace Division, Barden Corporation (UK) Limited, comments: "We're not talking about standard, catalogue industrial bearings here. These are super precision aerospace-approved bearings, where full traceability is critical. The bearings typically carry a form of passport around with them at all times and are subject to very strict, highly regulated aircraft maintenance programmes. The EASA Part-145 approval enables us to service the commercial aerospace markets in Europe, where there is now a demand for fast turnaround times on key aircraft components. This includes bearings for small engines, gearboxes and auxiliary power units."

If aircraft OEMs have no replacement bearings in stock, they can now send used bearings to Barden's new Diagnosis & Repair (D&R) facility in Plymouth. As Williams explains: "Initially, we would strip down the bearing and examine it for signs of wear. If the bearing is within acceptable limits, it is then cleaned and reassembled prior to being packed and returned to the customer as a 'serviceable' item. This is Level 1 - diagnosis. Bearings that fall outside acceptable limits may, in some cases, be refurbished in accordance with defined repair schemes. These are Level 2 - repair activities and may again result in 'serviceable' product. Bearings that are beyond economic recovery are tagged as 'unserviceable' and returned to the customer."

He cites a typical refurbishment example: "Some of the bearings have a silver-plated cage. The coating is sacrificial and so can eventually wear through. Provided that the wear is within acceptable limits, we can strip and re-apply the silver coating; thus avoiding additional delays associated with re-manufacture. Other examples of refurbishment include the re-polishing of the bearing raceways and replacing the rolling elements."

"If the bearings are recoverable, we can refurbish them in rapid time, normally within seven days. This is significantly faster than the customer having to wait for a replacement bearing, which can take anything from 12 to 24 months."

"For the customer, the inspection and refurbishment of the bearings is not really about cost. Lead time is far more important, especially when you consider the cost of keeping an aircraft on the ground rather than in the sky."

"Maintenance programmes for aircraft engine components and APUs are becoming increasingly important, as airlines try to maximise the life of their existing equipment. In general, aircraft are getting larger in size and are flying for longer periods, which means maintenance is more frequent. Therefore, rapid turnaround times for diagnosis and repair of aerospace-approved bearings is becoming even more critical," he adds.

Gaining the EASA Part-145 approval has required more than 12 months of hard work that involved planning a new dedicated D&R station at Plymouth and visits from CAA auditors. The Plymouth plant now has a self-contained, access-controlled, 1,800 square feet D&R station, with storage racks, working surfaces and inspection equipment. At present, the station can handle bearings up to 300mm outside diameter. Phase Two of the project will see the D&R station expanded to include dedicated receiving, cleaning and measuring equipment.

The service is not only applicable to aerospace-approved bearings, says Williams. "Any industry in which regulatory approvals are high or where traceability of the bearings is required, we can help. This might include bearings for rail applications or nuclear installations."

"In addition, the services are not just applicable to bearings manufactured by Barden - as long as the customer has approved technical data and a repair scheme for us to work to, then we can provide the Diagnosis and Repair service."

A market leader in the design and manufacture of super precision ball bearings for more than 60 years, Barden has supplied products to a range of extreme environment applications, including vacuum pumps and the aerospace industry. With a customer base that includes NASA, BAE Systems and a number of other leading aerospace and defence companies, Barden boasts state-of-the-art production technology and a wealth of engineering expertise.

A high percentage of Barden bearings are tailor-made for specific applications. The product range encompasses predominantly radial, single row, super precision, angular contact and deep groove ball bearings which meet and exceed ABEC 7/9 standards. Bearings are manufactured and controlled under strict aerospace procedures, providing full traceability, controlled lubrication and complete retention of records. Manufactured bearing sizes range from 5mm to 250mm outside diameter. The company is capable of manufacturing bearings to a geometric tolerance of P2 or better, and envelope dimensions to P4 or better. Raceway roundness is better than 0.5µm, with raceway surface finish better than 0.025µm Ra.

Barden Corporation (UK) Ltd in profile
Barden Corporation (UK) Ltd (www.bardenbearings.co.uk) is a recognised world leader in super-precision bearing systems. For more than 60 years, Barden has built on its unrivalled manufacturing expertise and its ability to design bespoke engineering solutions for a variety of difficult applications. The company offers an extensive range of super-precision bearings for a variety of applications, including aerospace, turbomolecular pumps, medical instruments, machine tool and motorsport. Now part of the Schaeffler Group, Barden UK holds an enviable position alongside sister manufacturing plants around the world. For further information, e-mail: caroline.evans@schaeffler.com or view website: www.bardenbearings.co.uk    Refer to page 73

VISTAGY's FiberSIM® software
reduces time 'from art to part' by over
70% on the SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), a premier developer of launch vehicles and spacecraft for government and commercial use, are using VISTAGY's FiberSIM® software to reduce the design time and enhance the efficiency of the composites and development process for the Dragon spacecraft. NASA selected the Dragon spacecraft in conjunction with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle to provide reliable and efficient transport of cargo and potentially crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and other low earth orbit (LEO) destinations. SpaceX is targeting late 2009 for the inaugural launch of Falcon 9.

The picture shows the Dragon spacecraft preparing to berth.

FibreSIM is being used to develop production fibre replacement diagrams and laser projection files. It will be used to assist with actual fibre replacement for the spacecraft's thermal protection system, including the heat shield, exterior panels and insulating layers on the rocket and spacecraft, and several panels around the engines. The software is used from the outset on all new composites projects and has enabled SpaceX to reduce the design-to-manufacturing time on composite parts - such as the 5 metre fairing boattail panel - from seven to two days.

"Time is always of the essence so FibreSIM's proven ability to take us from 'art to part' so rapidly was a critical consideration in our decision to purchase the software," said Chris Thompson, vice president of structures engineering for SpaceX. "But it is about more than just speed.

"FiberSIM improves product quality by providing accurate information to the manufacturing floor, which also helps the repeatability of the manufacturing process. This assure that parts fit when they come off the tool. It also provides a great tie-in with our laser projection system."

"We're pleased to partner with SpaceX to apply FibreSIM to cutting-edge composite design and manufacturing techniques for space travel," said John O'Connor, VISTAGY's director of product and marketing strategy for space. "Working together we can help SpaceX achieve its objectives of reducing the cost and enhancing the reliability of space access by improving the efficiency and productivity of the overall composites development process."

VISTAGY, Inc. in profile
VISTAGY, Inc. is a leading global provider of engineering software and consulting services that optimise product development processes by enhancing the functionality of commercial 3D CAD systems. For almost 20 years, VISTAGY has been a pioneer in providing industry-specific solutions that capture complete virtual product definitions and facilitate automatic reuse and efficient exchange of engineering information across the enterprise and supply chain. VISTAGY solutions help customers deliver robust products on time and on budget by increasing productivity, improving communications throughout the product lifecycle and enabling better-informed decision-making early in the design process. The company's customers include over 200 of the worlds leading manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, transportation interiors and wind energy industries. VISTAGY is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.

For further information, Tel: +1.781.250.6800 or view website: www.vistagy.com