Hybrid HVAF Cost Efficiency

I’ve been working within the landing gear segment of the Aerospace Industry for 20 years where my focus has been mainly in thermal carbide-based coatings, whether it be on the equipment side or processing. My first exposure to the landing gear segment was when I was hired by Sulzer Metco one of the leading manufacturers of thermal coating equipment and powders back in 2003. Being based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada my location provided me with close proximity access to the 3 major landing gear manufacturers being Safran Landing Systems (Mirabel, Quebec & Ajax Ontario), Collins Aerospace formerly Goodrich Landing Systems (Oakville, Ontario) and Heroux-Devtek (Longueil, Quebec). Eastern Canada was and still is a very important global location for the manufacturing and assembly of commercial, business and military landing gears.

Throughout my 20 years I’ve met and built solid business relationships with the major landing gear OEM’s and their Tier 1 sub-contractors for component manufacturing and coating processing and finishing. In 2007, the European Union implemented the REACH initiative that calls for the elimination of numerous processing chemicals, one of which is Chromium, which is widely used throughout Europe and the world in the chrome plating process. This elimination requirement would have a severe impact on the manufacturing and supply of landing gears where the landing gear manufacturers would have to come up with an alternative to chrome plating on their components.

Luckily, for the global landing gear manufacturers the EU issued numerous deadline extensions, with the latest deadline set for September 2024. Assuming that no further deadline extensions are issued, here’s what the elimination of chrome plating will cause to the landing gear OEMs and the Europe based Material Repair & Overhaul (MRO) landing gear facilities.

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