Custom coating protection cover
KLM Engine Services
Consulting, 3D-Scanning, 3D-Design, 3D-Printing
March 2018
Custom tooling
Brief
KLM Engine services is responsible for the repair and overhaul of jet engines from KLM and customers. During the overhaul process some engine parts need a fresh polish and coating. The non-coating areas of the parts that need coating are being protected by professional heat resisting tape. Service engineers apply and remove this tape manually. This is very time consuming.
Process
With the Ultra HD 3D scanner at 3DMZ the original part of the engine is being scanned and digitized in the computer. With special software we created a negative model of the area that the coating spray is not allowed to reach and 3D printed this part on our large scale 3D printer in a heat resisting material.
Result
KLM Engine Services now has a custom made 3D printed protection screen. This perfectly fits the original part and can be used many times during coating instead of the original method with tape that needs to be placed and removed manually every time. This tool helps KLM Engine Services save time during the overhaul process and drive down costs.
The Brief
Easing the preperation process for coating and polishing during overhaul.
KLM Engine Services, the technological branche of KLM Engineering and Maintenance, overhauls the engines used in its own fleet alongside those of customers. Engineering & Maintenance is continually investing in its infrastructure to make sure it stays at the technological forefront.
Ranging from disassembly to repair and reassembly followed by validation tests, etc., the various stages in engine overhaul are carried out by the KLM Engine Services experts according to proven processes. The frequency of the engine service differs per engine type. An engine of a Boeing 737 needs engine service after 4500 cycles. One cycle = one take-off + one landing.
Specific surfaces of some engine parts need to be coated or polished during the overhaul process. To make sure that the coating spray only reaches the surface of the part that needs to be coated, other area’s of the part are being protected by professional heat resisting tape. Covering all these parts with tape is intensive work and very time consuming. Above all, the industrial tape itself is also quite expensive.
3D printed custom tools
3D scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing enables us to create useful custom tools for our industrial and manufacturing customers. Creating custom tools for your service engineers on the factory floor really can speed up processes and save costs.
The Result
An 80% decrease in preperation time and costs.
With 3D scanning and 3D printing, 3DMZ & KLM Engine Services teamed up to speed up this overhaul process and drive down the costs. With the Ultra HD 3D scanner at 3DMZ the original part of the engine is being scanned and digitized in the computer. With special software 3DMZ created a negative model of the area that the coating spray is not allowed to reach.
The Builder Extreme 1500, a large scale professional 3D printer in the 3D Makers Zone, 3D printed the negative model in several heat resisting materials to be used as a protection screen to protect the non-coating areas during the overhaul / coating process.
This custom made 3D printed protection screen perfectly fits the original part and can be used many times during coating instead of the original method with tape that needs to be placed and removed manually every time.
