In a business known for quality management, automotive component suppliers have few clear guidelines when it comes to nondestructive testing (NDT).

A similar incident two years prior prompted the engine’s manufacturer, CFM International, to recommend inspections of fan blades on CFM56-7B engines with 20,000 cycles. All told, the FAA and CFM bulletins covered approximately 3,160 engines, or 76,320 separate fan blades.

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM), developed by Fabrisonic, combines a unique room-temperature metal-deposition process with the ease of traditional CNC milling.

Improvements in steel manufacturing processes have yielded advancements in the purity of steel that, in turn, yield higher-quality end-use products.

Element Materials Technology (Element) acquired Cleveland, Ohio-based Orbit Industries Inc. (Orbit), a Nadcap- and ISO 17025-accredited laboratory and provider of nondestructive testing (NDT) services to aerospace primes and Tier 1 suppliers. With over 30 prime approvals, Orbit specializes in ultrasonic, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle and chemical processing for raw materials and semi-finished and finished products, including landing-gear components, airfoils and aluminum wheels. Orbit also operates out of four other satellite inspection facilities across Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.