Capabilities
Capabilities
Senior Aerospace Metal Bellows provides diverse engineering and manufacturing resources to design and build unique metal bellows assemblies and metal joining solutions for customer applications. We are vertically integrated with all engineering disciplines and manufacturing processes in-house. Sophisticated engineering tools including FEA and 3D Solid modeling are utilized to support challenging applications. Every single employee has been schooled in Lean manufacturing principles which translates into more efficient product output for the customer. Metal Bellows focuses on understanding and solving customer problems with permanent, cost effective solutions.
Engineering
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Our highly experience engineering department includes many members having over 25 years of metal bellows and metal joining experience. For bellows design, there is an internally developed, life cycle prediction program which uses stress analysis algorithms combined with empirical test data to predict bellows life. This tool takes into account material type and thickness, operating conditions, temperatures and duty cycles which all allow for an accurate calculated life expectancy.
Several other tools are employed to support the engineering design function including 3D solid modeling and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). 3D solid modeling provides realistic images of the final assembly during design. This capability assists in determining the final interface configurations as well as providing detailed weight and Center of Gravity analysis. These solid models are provided to customers to ensure proper fit within the assembly.
FEA approximates real world conditions such as thermal, pressure, vibration and shock loads. Careful analysis of the predicted stresses allows for optimizing designs to provide the lightest, strongest, most cost-effective solution.
An engineering test lab allows prototypes to be tested before manufacturing begins. The lab includes facilities for part cycling under actual operating conditions with test chambers available to provide both temperature and pressure extremes.
For more detailed info please see our Engineering Capabilities Brochure or go to our Literature section for details on all of Metal Bellows offerings.
Manufacturing
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Welding is our core technology especially in the area of thin metal stock (.001” to .020” thick). Metal Bellows welding technologies include Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Electron Beam, Laser, Spot welding and orbital welding. These techniques are employed to join a variety of metals including stainless steels, inconels, hastelloys, titanium and other exotic materials. All welders are trained and certified by function, material type and thickness.
Weld equipment includes multiple ID and OD welding stations for bellows manufacturing. Machines are set up in flexible work cells and employees cross trained to optimize manufacturing capability and minimize delivery time. Our laser welder and E-beam welders are utilized where higher power control and small spot size is critical to the finished product.
All bellows sheet metal components are produced in house. The press department houses production presses from 25 to 1200 tons again allowing for highly flexible manufacturing and planning. Welding is supported in house by heat treating and brazing facilities as well as a brand new clean line. All heat treatment and brazing is done in accordance with the latest Mil standards. Metal Bellows operates a total of 4 vacuum furnaces to support the heat treatment requirements.
A new state of the art clean line was recently installed which insures that no contaminations are introduced before packaging. This automated system removes organic and inorganic contamination from metal parts using aqueous chemistry and agitation to produce ultra-clean metal parts. Rinse water with a minimum resistivity of 2 Meg-ohms combined with high efficiency dryers assure complete spot free drying.
Since a high percentage of the parts manufactured by Metal Bellows are utilized in a vacuum environment, all bellows welds and assembly welds are checked on state of the art helium mass spectrometer leak detectors strategically placed on the manufacturing floor to minimize travel time (more lean manufacturing at work).
Metal Bellows maintains a complete in-house product testing facility for all aspects of product conformity. Maintaining functional test verification according to required acceptance test criteria consists of mechanical and dimensional verification for individual applications. We maintain a test facility which includes proof pressure and burst test capability, certified non-destructive dye penetrant testing and an environmental test chamber. The lab is staffed by 2 full time metallurgists as well as a staff of trained technicians.
For more detailed info please see our Manufacturing Capabilities Brochure our go to our Literature section under the Company link for details on all of Metal Bellows offerings.