Jan 14 2008
Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced today that its Metal Treatment segment has been awarded a contract from The Boeing Company to establish a laser peen forming production cell inside of Boeing's Frederickson, Washington facility. The laser peening cell is planned to be in production during the second quarter of 2008 and would initially be utilized for shaping the complex curvatures of some of the wing sections of the new Boeing 747-8.
Curtiss-Wright's laser peening technology is based on a Neodymium glass laser technology, which was originally developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It has the ability to impart deep compressive stresses on the surface of metal parts, which can then be used to precisely form metal panels into their desired shape. Curtiss-Wright's Metal Treatment segment operates laser peening facilities in Livermore, CA and Earby, UK, and also has mobile laser peening systems with the capability to go on-site anywhere in the world.
"We are very pleased to be providing Boeing with our state-of-the-art laser peen technology for their most advanced aircraft design," said Martin R. Benante, Chairman and CEO of Curtiss-Wright. "This award is a significant milestone in bringing our proprietary laser peening technology to the market. A number of industry leaders, such as Rolls Royce and Siemens have also recognized the benefits of this process and we see a strong outlook for additional production orders."
The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 Freighter are new high- capacity aircraft based on Boeing's proven 747 family. The 747-8 offers the advantage of improved aerodynamics and reduced operating costs over current 747-400.