Optomec Awarded SBIR Grant For Aircraft Engine Repair Technology From US Navy

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Optomec announced recently that the US Navy has awarded the company with a Small Business Innovative Research grant to develop a new repair capability to restore aircraft engine blisks. Optomec's proposal was supported by both GE Aviation, and Pratt and Whitney, the two leading suppliers of gas turbine engines to the U.S. Department of Defense. Aircraft engines can be damaged by foreign objects entering the engine and hitting the fast spinning airfoils. Modern jet engines use integrally-bladed rotors, often known as blisks, which are made using materials of the highest quality in order to improve efficiency while ensuring safety. To repair these components, material added to restore the damaged blisk airfoils must meet the same stringent property requirements as new components. During the last five... [read full story]