SBIR/STTR Award attributes
76 Propulsion Maintenance Group at Tinker AFB identified the need for better process controls and data for chemical solutions that remove metal coatings from aircraft parts during overhaul, primarily valuable engine components. Current controls cannot predict process outcomes and tell very little about the chemistry occurring during operation. Failure to identify issues can have serious effects on the quality of the parts being processed. Figure Engineering offers our Solustat electrochemical solution analyzer technology developed to monitor strip rate, substrate corrosion, and chemical health of select redox-based stripping solutions suited to the control of PMXG and other MRO organizations removing aerospace surface finishes. The objective is to integrate other Air Force solutions in order to scale the technology for wider adoption into the Air Force and its sister services. It can be used to extend chemical service life thereby decreasing chemical and disposal costs for the Air Force. This capability fills a gap in existing Air Force process controls and reduces damaged parts, rework, chemical consumption, hazardous waste, and their associated costs.
