Arresting Metal Fatigue
February / March 06
Volume 4 Number 1
The leaders of Paramus, N.J.-based Metal Improvement Company, Inc. (MIC), a subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright Corp., made a high-stakes wager nearly a decade ago when they struck a deal with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to fund Livermore research and development of one of its laser technologies.
Beginning in 1997, the company invested hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to develop technology that could be used for laser peening—€”the process of using a laser to induce residual compressive stress into metal surfaces that increases the surface's resistance to fatigue. If successful, the technology could boost metal fatigue resistance ten-fold compared to other peening technologies.
It now appears the company has won the bet. The lab technology has reached full commercialization, generated millions of dollars in annual revenue for the company and potentially revolutionized an industry.
"Metal Improvement Company is a historically conservative company, but the leadership at the time took a risk because they believed in the technology," says Rob Specht, VP of Sales and Marketing for MIC.
Laser peening technology is not new. Prototype machines were developed in the 1970s but were not cost-effective because they did not fire at high enough intervals to treat parts rapidly. The technology is a step up from conventional shot peening—€”bombarding metal and other parts with tiny metal and ceramic balls—€”because it can penetrate four times deeper into the metal surface thus increasing resistance to fatigue.
Specht says officials at Curtiss-Wright, a large provider of shot peening services—€”had known about the benefits of laser peening technology for quite some time. They sought out LLNL, which was already working on developing a comparable laser technology, because they did not have a laser research staff of their own. "If we could have done it ourselves we would have," says Specht.
The company licensed the LLNL technology and signed a cooperative research and development agreement in 1997. MIC began investing a few hundred thousand dollars per year into the R&D. Specht says striking an agreement with LLNL was one of the first times MIC had looked for and invested in outside research and development. As the lab made technological advances, the company upped its investment.
LLNL scientists have won a number of awards for their advanced developments of the technology. Some of these include an award for the high repetition laser peening technology itself, which is capable of generating pressure pulses of one million pounds per square inch multiple times per second; the use of laser peening to mark/identify parts while simultaneously making them stronger; and a metal shaping technology.
"All through the process there was a strong sense that this technology would become very useful," says Lloyd Hackel, one of the original Livermore scientists working on the project and now VP for Advanced Technologies at MIC.
The first commercial application breakthrough occurred in 2001. Rolls-Royce approached MIC after experiencing stress problems in the fan blades used in commercial aircraft engines. Trials proved the laser peening technology could significantly extend the life of the fan blades. Hackel says extended life of the blades meant reduced maintenance costs and a host of other cost savings for Rolls-Royce. A huge benefit of the laser peening technology is that it reduces the need to "bulk up" metal parts in order to make them last longer—€” a process that can add weight to aircraft parts.
"It was at this point that things changed from the scientists having the lead on the technology to them fading into the background. That's how tech transfer should happen," Hackel says.
After signing a contract with Rolls-Royce, MIC opened its first laser peening facility near the lab in 2002. Specht says locating the facility near LLNL has greatly assisted the technology transfer process. The Federal Aviation Administration approved the facility as a repair station for the commercial aircraft blades. The company has since repaired more than 10,000 of the blades. MIC also opened a new plant in England to treat all of the new blades being produced by Rolls-Royce. Both facilities combined employ upwards of 60 advanced laser scientists and shop labor.
Specht estimates that the laser peening division of MIC currently generates $10 million in annual revenue, up from zero only a few years ago. "There was a period of about three to four years when there was no return on our investment, but now it's paying off. We took the risk in the beginning and the technology has followed through." In terms of the overall market the company serves, Specht says MIC is basically creating a whole new market.
Metal Improvement Company sees the technology's potential in upgrading other commercial aircraft components such as discs, landing gear, wing skins, bulkheads and rotary drive gears. It also has potential for use in treating medical implants for hips and knees, auto racing valves, connecting rods and crankshafts, electrical power generation, military aircraft and their structures, and more. MIC has developed a mobile laser peening unit that can treat components on-sight. "We're starting to expand into anything that fails," says Hackel.
Specht says, in fact, the scientists have not faded into the background but remain an integral part of the technology's future. He says in order to capture new markets the company and scientists need to continue working together to make innovations on the technology.
Eric Billingsley is a freelance writer based in Albuquerque.
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