Ace Clearwater Enterprises

Drop Hammer formed High-grade Aluminum 5-Axis Laser Trimmed Precision Rivet Placement to 11000th of an Inch The Sikorsky Black Hawk is the primary medium-lift helicopter for the U.S. Army. They perform a wide range of missions that encompass Air Assault, MEDEVAC, CSAR, Command and Control, and VIP transport. The newest version of the Army’s premier combat utility helicopter, the UH-60M, ensures compatibility with the U.S. Army’s Future Force. ACE is proud to manufacture several body panels, stiffeners and equipment covers for these hard-fighting military vehicles.

Complex, Custom Built, Made by Hand Built to Withstand Extreme Environment ACE Used 3D Printing Technology to Analyze and Maximize Strength of Design CNC-Milled Dies for Single Piece Forms Reduced Number of Sections in Construction Minimized Weld Joints and Maximized Strength and Durability The Boeing 777 relies on just two wing engines to provide thrust for flight. Thus, in its development, engineers determined that no other power should be bled off them for system hydraulics, and designed a space in its tail for a third, auxiliary gas turbine engine, or APU (as found in numerous other aircraft). To remove heat generated by the APU, an axial, vane type fan, driven off the APU gearbox, is usually provided to pump cooling air past the oil cooler and the compartment. But because of the high speeds and rotating parts, these fans are susceptible to mechanical failures. When they do occur, it requires that the aircraft be removed from operation. Further, these fans sometimes leak oil into the cooling flow which then covers the oil cooler fins resulting in reduced heat transfer and the possibility of an APU automatic shutdown because of excessive oil temperature.

Complex Aluminum Forms Uniquely Stronger Welds to Withstand Vibration Constructed to Withstand Extremes in Temperatures This very sophisticated design was a manufacturing challenge. Made from high-grade aluminum, the original design was soon discovered to react to air pressures at speeds above Mach 1, when the force of the air and the location of the vents created tremendous vibration of the louvers. The sound this generated, behind the cockpit, was so loud it could be heard in the cockpit through the pilot’s helmet.

Withstands Extreme Pressures At Full Throttle Insures Engine Thrust Is Vented Away From Instruments Drop Hammer Formed 12″ Thick Steel Panels Withstand Immense Heat Robust Welding Stands Up To Enormous Stresses Aircraft engines must be continually tested during development to determine balance, thrust, vibration and durability of the designs. Testing facilities rely on huge structures, or armatures, which hold these massive engines in place at full throttle. Other special equipment, such as nacelles, are installed on an engine in its test cell, which directs the air stream and reproduces conditions close to those of an engine in flight. ACE was called upon to construct the Snecma Cenco Boattail, a crucial part of the equipment added to the GE LEAP-x engine, working in tandem with the armature from which they are tested.

Honeywell re-engineered the CO2 scrubbing devices needed ACE stepped up and did a full-court press on the production Incredible accuracy and speed were paramount Difficult metals, materials, milled sections, joints – all assembled perfectly ACE made the launch, and helped keep our astronauts safe Honeywell came to ACE with a huge problem. The Carbon Dioxide Removal Assemblies (CDRA) were failing in the International Space Station. Three were down, and NASA only had three left. Plus, there were only 42 days before the next launch window. CARBON DIOXIDE “SCRUBBERS” FOR THE INT’L SPACE STATION Carbon Dioxide, what we exhale, can be very dangerous to humans who are off-world in a sealed environment. Usually this unbreathable gas is collected and expelled from the ship. However, for long-term occupancy, this closed-loop CDRA “scrubbing” system removed CO2 and restored oxygen from it, enabling its recycling. And that significantly reduced the amount of breathable air that has to be delivered periodically to the station in tanks from the surface. [In NASA “speak”: a 4-Bed Molecular Sieve Air Revitalization System, consisting of a desiccant (drying) bed and an absorbent bed (zeolite)]

This highly complex air distribution duct is a great demonstration of the capabilities at ACE. It required many technical innovations in order to be manufactured. The base metal of these units is aluminum. That requires a highly skilled TIG welder who joins the pieces with the corrected amount of filler metal. Dozens of complex custom welds require craftsmanship and broad experience working with the metal.