Integran Technologies reached a big milestone recently by having our quality systems, which include the production of our high performance electroplated Nanovate metals, certified to the AS9100C:2009 standard. With aerospace manufacturing of a variety of products enabled with our Nanovate metals in our future, pursuing this certification was an easy decision.
The press release was as follows:
Toronto-based Integran Technologies, Inc. (Integran) today announced that the company received their AS9100C:2009 certification on December 13, 2012 after an intensive audit of their quality systems. The certification applies to Integran's Toronto facility for the design, development and application of advanced activation and electrodeposition processes based on patented technologies.
AS9100C:2009 was established by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) and is the most recent quality management system standard for the supply of products to the aviation, space and defense sectors. It incorporates the ISO9001:2008 standard but adds the additional expectations of the aerospace and related industries. Major aerospace OEM's, manufacturers, and suppliers require compliance and/or registration to AS9100C:2009 as a condition of being able to do business with them.
The main goals are to ensure product reliability, enhance risk management and improve customer satisfaction. "For the past year, we've been focused on implementing the AS9100C:2009 quality management principles", said Gino Palumbo, President & CEO of Integran. "Product reliability is paramount in the aerospace industry and risk management at all levels of development and manufacturing will allow Integran to meet and exceed customer requirements".
The assessment was carried out in accordance with AS9104-A by Orion Registrar, Inc. USA who is accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB). Integran passed the audit without any significant findings.
This was important for us as we have many customers that require us to make quality critical components for aerospace, defense and space markets using both our unqiue high performance Nanovate metals and more standard surface finishes.
The main areas of focus for Integran where the AS9100C:2009 certification is useful are:
Here we use our high strength Nanovate structural nickel alloys over thermoplastics (ABS, Nylon, PEEK) to create parts that are lighter, stronger, stiffer and more impact resistant than solid Aluminum parts.
These lighweight parts have tremendous value to customers in aerospace, defense and space industries as weight reduction is critical to fuel efficency or the portability of parts. In many cases it's a one-two punch that they are also more robust and durable!
Have an aluminum part you want to look at migrating to Nanovate reinforced plastic? Click here to get in touch!
Other customers of Integran's are looking for hard chrome replacement for corrosion and wear protection of steel - for instance on hydraulic rods and cylinders (landing gear, actuators) - where sliding wear is present at the same time as corrosive environments. Our Nanovate CoP (a nanocrystalline Cobalt) provides enhanced corrosion protection and sliding wear over hard chrome, giving our customers a product that will last longer while removing the need for toxic hard chrome plating.
Another big benefit in aerospace is the much improved fatigue resistance over hard chrome plating. This plays significantly into aerospace where parts are often overdesigned to take into account the fatigue debit imparted from hard chrome.
3) Improved Durability of Fiber Composites
Fiber composites (carbon or glass fiber composites) are light and strong, but are not durable in the face of erosion or impact damage. Combined with our innovative adhesion technologies for composites, we can improve the surface hardness, erosion and impact resistance of composites by over 10x
In addition to parts, we also ID/OD coat composite tubes to create lightweight and durable sliding wear surfaces for actuators/hydrulics.
3) Improved Impact Resistance/Durability of Aluminum
Aluminum is used extensively in aerospace for lightweight parts, but Aluminum is relatively soft/weak/fatigue prone. Although anodizing improves the surface hardness, it decreases impact resistance and fatigue resistance as anodizing is a relatively brittle surface treatment.
Swinging off success in sporting goods on impact resistant Aluminum putters (see Ping's Nome putter), we have now started using our high toughness Nanovate on Aluminum for key aerospace components!
We've also come up with nanocrystalline metal alloys that have great soft magnetic properties and can therefore shield sensitive electronics from stray magnetic field interference. We use this to protect sensitive, weight critical aerospace electronics by mangetic shielding enclosures for devices like gyroscope, power supplies and other sensitive electronics.