New Sabreliner Curing Oven Optimizes Bonding Process

Sabreliner Corporation recently installed a state-of-the-art Gehnrich Curing Oven at its Ste. Genevieve operation to optimize the bonding process for repairs made with adhesives on critical aircraft components. Adjoining the oven is a controlled environment area where components are prepared for curing that controls temperature, humidity and dust particles, which further enhances the quality of the adhesive bond.

Sabreliner uses the oven for a wide range of airframe repair work. One of the primary applications is on composite panels for the KC-135 component overhaul and repair program. The oven also will be used to build longerons for Airbus aircraft under a subcontract with Vought.

“This new curing system is giving us big gains in three important areas – size, speed and quality,” says Ron Herman, vice president of operations for Sabreliner’s Southeast Missouri Operations. “As an example, we now can do complete repairs on 14-foot long flap trailing edges that we could not do before. We’re also able to cure many more small parts in a single batch,” says Herman. “What’s more, we can do it all in about half the time compared to our previous system. Most importantly, the quality of the bond on everything we do now is consistently the best it can be, and that’s our top priority.”

The curing system is used for repairs that may be required due to dents, water intrusion, delamination, corrosion and other types of damage. Pieces also may be bonded together to form new parts. In another application, the curing system will be used for laying up fiberglass and Kevlar around a mold to form items such as windowline rings, diffusers and micro switch covers.

The curing process works by heating an adhesive that is either sandwiched between layers of aluminum and or honeycomb core to bond pieces together. A vacuum pump is used to provide suction to a bag of material that compresses the pieces together, forming a tight bond during the curing cycle. It can be used for repairs to skin panels, flight control tabs, ailerons, flaps and elevators that have honeycomb core sandwiched in between the aluminum skin.

In addition to composite work, this oven can be utilized in the cure cycle for heat treating aluminum parts. Parts that previously were manufactured and sent to an outside vendor for the heat treat “age” cycle now can be handled entirely in-house.

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