CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/450689
29 CompositesWorld.com NEWS N E W S N S N E W S E N W S W Exelis Aerostructures in 2011 when Exelis' parent, ITT Corp. (White Plains, NY, US), split itself into three independent companies focused on defense and electronics, fuid technology, and motion-and-fow control. Exelis, with 10,000 employees and US$4.8 billion in revenue, represents the defense-and-electronics segment and is based in McLean, VA, US. Te Exelis Aerostructures business operates two Utah facilities, managed by VP/GM Mike Blair. Although the business is established and sizable, it's neither hide- bound nor immobile. Blair is leading Exelis through an aggressive capacity-and-capabilities expansion, featuring forays into a variety of aerospace applications. Examples abound: Composite foor- beam struts for the Airbus (Toulouse, France) A380, the vertical tail and sponsons for the Sikorsky (Stratford, CT, US) CH-53K helicopter, the upper access covers, blade seal compo- nents and outboard wingskins for Lockheed Martin's (Ft. Worth, TX, US) F-35 Lightning II, Section 41 and 43 fuselage frames for Te Boeing Co.'s (Chicago, IL. US) 787-9 airliner, and the upper shell and other parts for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control's (Orlando, FL, US) Joint Air-to-Surface Standof Missile (JASSM). Exelis' business development director Jef Sunderland, however, says the company's expansion, although aggressive, is proceeding methodically and carefully. Enthusiasm is tempered by wisdom won over the long haul. "We are trying to be parochial about going to market," he says. "We want to win work, run it fawlessly and then pursue other opportunities. We don't want to bite of more than we can chew — one failure can lead to years of bad reputation." When CW was invited to tour both of the facilities Exelis operates in Salt Lake City in an industrial park due east of the SLC airport, Blair was our guide through the company's original plant on Billy Mitchell Rd., built in 1969, and just a few blocks away, the compa- ny's new Composite Design & Manufacturing Center (CDMC) on Amelia Earhart Dr. Established core, exceptional commitment Te 13,935m 2 Billy Mitchell Rd. plant is home to many of the legacy technologies with which Exelis has won work and built its business. Te bulk of the building's space is consumed by Exelis' braiding operation. Exelis runs 18 braiding machines, some developed in-house. Tey range in operational complexity from 16 to 288 tows. Manufactured by Herzog (Olden- burg, Germany), the 288-tow braider, also called Stargate, is characterized by Blair as a "solution seeking an application." All of the braided products are processed via RTM or VARTM, with curing done in one of fve Grieve (Round Lake, IL, US) ovens located in the braider room. Billy Mitchell Rd.: 1960s Foundation The second Salt Lake City facility Exelis operates was established in 1969 and is home of the company's core braiding and flament winding technology. Exelis operates 18 braiders, ranging from 16 to 288 tows. Here, a smaller braider is used to fabricate a tubular preform. Exelis CDMC: Future Potential Exelis Aerostructures operates two facilities in Salt Lake City, UT, US. The newest, the 23,225m 2 Composite Design & Manufacturing Center (CDMC), was opened in 2012 and includes automated fber and tape placement activities, hand layup, assembly, flament winding of struts and tubes and fabrication of fuselage frames for the Boeing 787-9. Although the business is established and sizable, it's neither hide-bound nor immobile. Source (all story photos) / Exelis Aerostructures