SBIR-STTR Award

During the overhaul of any gas turbine engine, rotating components must be balanced. In addition to the balancing machine, a key component in the balancing process is the fixturing used to interface the part being balanced with the balancing machine. Much of the fixturing currently employed by the Air Force is antiquated technology, incapable of reliably meeting the balancing demands of modern engines. Balancing measurement repeatability issues, and the time wasted on trying to make this antiquated fixturing work, is costing the Air Force significant amounts of money, as well as bringing into question the efficacy of the process. NextGen Balancing, a manufacturer of custom rotor-specific balance fixturing, proposes to adapt technology already being utilized in the private sector, to the needs of the Air Force.

Balancing of rotating machinery components and assemblies is a critical element in manufacturing and overhaul of aerospace and land-based gas turbine engines. A key component of this process is the interface fixturing used to mount the part being balanced on the balancing machine. Much of the fixturing in use by the Air Force today dates back to the mid-1960s, and while it may have been suitable for older legacy engines, it can be shown that does not meet the demands of today's modern engines. Use of such antiquated fixturing results in processes that do not repeat and are not reliable, begging the question of whether the balanced parts actually meet the specified tolerances. NextGen proposes to demonstrate that employing state-of-the-art fixturing technologies will result in processes that are repeatable and reliable, thereby also decreasing process times and costs.