A new 150,000-sq-ft investment casting facility has been opened in Tampa, Fla., by Chromalloy Castings. According to Tom Trotter, v-p and general manager, it is the only facility in the world that can investment cast aerospace gas turbine blades from the smallest up to and including large, heavy industrial gas turbine blades and vanes other than those made under contract for the OEMs.
“It’s about life-cycle cost management,” Trotter said. “We’ve come full circle in that we started by offering anti-corrosion and thermal barrier coatings for aero engine components. We saw a need for repair and expanded into turbine blade and nozzle guide vane component repair. It provided a cost-effective alternative to simply replacing a part with a new one from the OEM. Unfortunately, sometimes they can’t be repaired and now with investment casting technology we can make a new, much more cost-effective replacement for our customers,” he said. “We are now able to offer the industry a single source for engine component design, engineering, tooling, machining, repairs, coatings and castings.”
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