AESF 2000 Aerospace/Airline Plating & Metal Finishing Forum is Timely
Ahhh, the trade show season has begun. The next in our series of show coverage is AESF's 2000 Aerospace/Airline Plating & Metal Finishing Forum & Exposition. This conference/exposition will be held March 27-29, 2000 at the Hyatt Regency in Cincinnati, OH.
The aerospace industry has come under fire in recently with several airline crashes occurring within months of each other. Several of these crashes have been caused by mechanical failure. As you read here, on Surface Finishing.com, officials were speculating as to whether an incorrectly applied coating was the cause of the stabilizer failure in Alaska Air Flight 261. We have not heard anything further on that but it sure does put the metal finishing end of manufacturing under the spotlight. Although this event has been planned for over a year, its timing is rather uncanny.
The AESF forum will address all aspects of metal finishing for the aerospace/airline industry from The Use of a Composite Anodic Finish as a Replacement for a Chromic Acid (Type I) Anodic Finish to CMMS – Preventative Maintenance Technology for the Aerospace Industry. There are at least six sessions that will discuss alternatives to chromium plating as this process is constantly under scrutiny by EPA. Other scheduled forums will address ultrasonic cleaning methods, compliance and other plating processes such as nickel and tin/zinc.
A Hard Chromium Course will also be offered by AESF. Called Chromium Plating for Engineering Applications, this course will provide a background in chemistry and metallurgy so those people new to chromium plating will not get lost in the muck. Topics relevant to hard chromium plating such as analytical control of plating solutions, compliance with Clean Air Act regulations, and surface preparation will be covered. Ideal for line workers and shop foremen (or forepersons), this course can also benefit shop owners and managers. The instructor is Herb Nissen of Eastside Plating in Portland, OR. The cost of the course is $505 for members and $605 for non-members.
Herbert W. Coulter, general manager, environmental affairs & safety at GE Aircraft Engines (Cincinnati, OH) will be this year's keynote speaker.
This year is also the year AESF will present, for the first time, its annual Aerospace/Airline Achievement Award. This new award, according to AESF, honors an individual who, through actions and achievements, has advanced the world of surface finishing in the aerospace/airlines industry. Also to be awarded is the Robert C. Garland Award, which was established by the forum's Steering Committee in 1974 to recognize the author(s) of the best paper (s) presented and published annually in the event's proceedings. According to AESF, the recipient, who is selected by the majority vote at the Forum's business meeting, receives a plaque and an honorarium. The Garland Award is given in honor of Robert Garland, a long-time contributor to the conference as well as the industry. "While an officer of the AESF Kansas City Branch, Garland helped create and organize the first Forum, which was held in 1963," says AESF. "As a plating shop foreman for TWA, he played a major role in the development of TWA's early plating facility."
One of the best-attended events and quite a treat for those 100 people who are lucky to sign up first, is the tour to GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) in Evendale, OH, just outside of Cincinnati. The world headquarters for GEAE, the Evandale facility is responsible for manufacturing the CF6 family of engines, which are more-often-than- not found in widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft.
The GEAE plant has a rich history as a manufacturer of jet engines for military aircraft used during the Korean Conflict as well as subsequent military endeavors. In the late 1950s, GE began manufacturing jet engines for the commercial airline industry with the C1805 engine. Today, the plant is still churning out jet engines featuring cutting-edge technologies that attendees will get to view on the tour. The tour is scheduled to leave the Hyatt Regency 1:00 pm on Wednesday, March 29, and will take attendees through the GEAE jet museum, the CFM56 production engine assembly, the marine and industrial production engine assembly, and the customer technical education center to see all of the company's engine products, says AESF.
The AESF Aerospace/Airline Plating & Metal Finishing Forum & Exposition promises to be an informative and practical "forum" in which we can learn new things and share ideas. To register for the event, contact AESF at (407) 281-6441 or visit their website at www.aesf.org.