The Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAZ) has renewed its engineering building: the installation of a modern line for ultrasonic washing of parts by the Alexandra-Plus research and production company is being completed in shop No. 269. After the line is put into operation, products made of titanium alloys up to four metres in length – spars, ribs, brackets, wingtips, landing gear struts elements of Su-30SM2 and Yak-130 aircraft will be cleaned as efficiently as possible, said in the Telegram channel “Notes of Aircraft Builders”.
According to Vladimir Sukhopar, a leading engineer for maintenance and repair of mechanical assembly production equipment, the new complex is a revolutionary upgrade.
“Previously, products were essentially washed in a large bathtub. We heated water, added a solution and manually brushed the parts after machining. The elimination of manual cleaning has significantly improved the quality of parts processing, reduced time costs and reduced health risks for employees,” he explained.
The MO-908 line includes three baths and a drying chamber, its own crane girder for moving baskets with parts, a control system based on a digital controller, and dozens of sensors to ensure automatic operation. The main cleaning takes place in the first bath. Acoustic emitters installed in it generate vibrations with high frequency in the washing solution, causing cavitation effect. This creates high hydrostatic pressure, which literally pulls the adhering dirt particles off the surface. The second and third baths are designed to rinse the parts with hot and cold water, respectively.
“After such thorough rinsing and drying, the products come out perfectly clean,” the authors of the “Notes of Aircraft Builders” tg-channel note.
Shop No. 269 performs machining and finishing of parts, in particular power spandrels for Su-30SM2 fighters, and assembly of units before they are sent to the aggregate shop. After the spar is manufactured on the CNC machine, it is transported to the locksmith department, where sharp edges are removed from the product, irregularities from cutting tools are cleaned, and missing holes are drilled in places inaccessible to the machine. The locksmith department works not only with parts for combat aircraft, but also for the civilian MC-21.
The new line is capable of removing any contamination, from dust and metal chips to oil films, lubricants, varnishes and paints. Precision cleaning is a prerequisite for ensuring the reliability and durability of power and critical parts. Investments in upgrading production facilities allow the aircraft plant to fulfil in time the state defence order for the production of combat aircraft used by the Air Force in special military operations, as well as to increase productivity and reduce costs, solving the task of step-by-step build-up to 72 aircraft per year of the MS-21.
