We guarantee conformity with AMS 2750 E, NADCAP, CQI-9 standards
AMS 2750 E (Aerospace Material Specifications) is a high-quality standard for producing materials in the aerospace industry. These regulations outline the requirements related to heat treatment. The AMS 2750 E standard, and related ones like AMS 2770 for heat treatment of aluminum, embodies today’s regulatory point of reference for the aeronautic and space industries. With the introduction of CQI-9 standards, the automobile industry has also adopted heat treatment processes that are more rigorous. These regulations provide a detailed description of requirements in heat process systems:
- Temperature uniformity in the space utilized (TUS)
- Equipment (provisions for measuring and monitoring devices)
- Calibrating the end-of-line measurement (IT) from regulator through the measuring cable to the thermocouple
- Verifying system accuracy (SAT)
- Documenting test cycles
Respecting regulations is essential to guarantee the quality standards required for the components being produced even in the mass production phase. For this reason, numerous and repeated tests are requested, along with equipment inspections and their related documentation.
AMS 2750 E regulations for furnaces by classification and equipment
Depending on the quality requirements for the material undergoing heat treatment, the client provides the parameters for the type of equipment and the homogeneity of the temperature. The type of equipment indicates the appropriate combination of the monitoring system to be utilized, the recording instruments and the thermocouples required. The homogeneity of the furnace temperature and the quality of the equipment utilized depends on the type of furnace requested. The greater number of requirements for the furnace classification, the more precise the equipment must be,
A sample installation with equipment in compliance with AMS 2750 E standards.
| FURNACE CLASSIFICATION | TEMPERATURE HOMOGENEITY | |
| 1 | ± 3 °C | |
| 2 | ± 6 °C | |
| 3 | ± 8 °C | |
| 4 | ± 10 °C | |
| 5 | ± 14 °C | |
| 6 | ± 24 °C |
Nadcap: Why be accredited for the aerospace sector?
Demanding and highly technological manufacturing sectors such as the aeronautics and space industries select partners in excellence recognized on a global scale, from which they expect stand out products with extremely high safety and reliability levels. In order to guarantee respect for the quality standard requested, Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program), a program desired by aerospace leaders to accredit Special Processes such as Heat Treatment, was established. There’s no need to hide the fact that Nadcap certification is difficult and costly to obtain. Nonetheless, it is truly worthwhile because Nadcap is not just a certification, as we will explain here. Nadcap certification is an opportunity that is not to be missed.
Why adhere to the Nadcap process?
Nadcap is the standard for the aerospace market. On the one hand, it is a tool to control processes and suppliers, and on the other, it guarantees quality for the client. The program ensures a sectoral-based approach for assessing compliance in Special Processes.
The program was originally created by the American Ministry of Defense to guarantee respect for technical/qualitative requirements for aerospace products. Its legitimacy has allowed for the rapid evolution and adoption by the main industries in the aerospace and defense sectors. Today, practically all Aerospace industry leaders, along with its main global suppliers, must submit their Special Processes to Nadcap certification.
Nadcap is an essential condition that provides certainty within a contractual relationship in a sector where there is elevated production and there are very high qualitative demands for products. Fully respecting the requirements of the standards allows for continuous and repeated mass production over time.
Nadcap certification allows a company to demonstrate that it knows and applies sector-based rules and that quality is based on a rigorous and well-organized system. Through audits that are conducted by sector technical experts, assessments on the quality and resilience of operative processes, and consequently, the capacity to build reliable products for the aerospace industry are conducted.
What results can be obtained with Nadcap?
Created in 1990 by SAE Inc, the Nadcap program is administered by the Performance Review Institute (PRI), a non-profit organization. The PRI is the global supplier of solutions oriented toward the client designed to improve the process and quality of aerospace products, reducing total costs and promoting collaboration between interested parties in a sector in which safety and quality are shared objectives. The PRI works in direct contact with companies in the aerospace sector to best gather the specific emerging demands and needs, offering personalized answers and solutions.
The need for collaboration between companies in the sector came about because products must guarantee the highest standards of quality. The main objective of the program in fact is to establish prerequisites for certification, to certify suppliers and define the operative requirements of the program itself. The result is a standardized approach to Special Processes, among which Heat Treatment, as well as increased efficiency for inspection audits.
The process, managed by the PRI with the support of numerous competing Aerospace industry leaders, does the following:
- Establish common, strict standards able to satisfy the requirements of all those involved;
- Conduct in-depth and highly technical audits on Special Processes;
- Improve the quality of suppliers in all sectors thanks to the introduction of strict requirements;
- Reduce costs by promoting a higher level of standardization;
- Use expert assessors at a technical level (Nadcap Auditors) for every different process.
Adhering to the Nadcap procedure not only is an essential pre-requisite for working in the aerospace sector, but also an opportunity to improve production processes. Moreover, Nadcap certification is an important and noteworthy opportunity to obtain higher visibility for your company. So, are you ready to become a part of the aerospace industry?
AMS STANDARDS
For high-quality material undergoing heat treatment that is used in the aerospace and automotive industries, heat treatment systems must be in compliance with the following standards which describe the fundamental requirements:
- AMS 2750 E ( Aerospace Material Specifications)
- CQI-9 applied to build automotive parts
These standards describe the inspections and requirements that heat processes must have in a detailed manner and which parameters must be constantly inspected.
The following inspections are necessary:
- Temperature uniformity in the work space (TUS)
- Instrumentation (definition of measurement and control systems)
- Calibration of the measurement system (IT) from the controller via the measurement line to the thermocouple
- Inspections of system accuracy (SAT)
- Documentation of the inspection cycles
Respecting the standards allows for mass production that is constant and consistent over time as well as for an archive that permits data searches related to production at any time.
Uniformity, the equipment used and the frequency of testing are set up according to the type of production and, therefore, the classification of the furnace.
The client will determine the classification and uniformity of the furnace as well as the related equipment that determines the composition of the regulatory system and control of the heat treatment based upon the quality requested of the component being produced. The higher the requirements which determine the class of furnace used, the more precise the related equipment must be. In the case of continuous mesh belt furnaces, (CHECK ABOVE) along with the heat system inspection it is also recommended that there should be monitoring of the protective atmosphere because the transmission of heat also happens through the controlled atmosphere.
| TYPES | |||||
| A | B | C | D | E | |
| Each control zone has a thermocouple connected to the controller | X | X | X | X | X |
| Recording of the temperature measured on the control thermocouple | X | X | X | X | |
| Sensors for recording the coldest and hottest spots | X | X | |||
| Each control has a charge thermocouple charger with recording system | X | X | |||
| Each control zone has an over-temperature protection unit | X | X | X | X | |
Testing
The heat treatment system and furnace must be built and designed in a manner that always satisfies the requirements of AMS 2750E standards in a reproducible manner.
Based on the furnace classification, the standards foresee the intervals for testing equipment as follows:
- SAT System Accuracy Test
And temperature homogeneity:
- TUS Temperature Uniformity Survey
SAT and TUS testing must be done with equipment that is independent of the regulator. Da quella di regolazion.
It is advisable that testing sequences (thermocouple, thermoregulator and the compensato cord) be certified annually by a certified SIT calibration centre.
The diagram illustrates the composition of the control system according to AMS 2750E standards.