Aircraft Fastener Coating Machine

Standard Aeronautical fasteners uses a sealant, manually applied, just before installation. Here, a new type of sealant, which cures in air, is applied to threads of fasteners in a nitrogen environment. Then a second coating is applied to seal off air to the first application. The process is based around a cam driven rotary indexer with servo-controlled applicators with a robotic offload into trays, after curing, to make sure the second coating is not compromised, allowing the first coat to cure.

Fasteners for the Aeronautical industry use a sealant that is manually applied to them just before use in the assembly process. This machine was built for a new type of sealant application on the threads of a variety of fasteners. The fasteners are automatically fed and loaded into rotary nests on a cam driven indexer. Once loaded they are indexed to the first coating station where a thin film of sealant is applied. The nest rotates as a dispenser applies the material at a controlled rate and linear movement to coat the entire thread location. The first coating is designed to cure in air, so the material is applied in a nitrogen environment. The second coating is then applied at the next station to completely cover the first sealant application. The material is then allowed to cure before it leaves the nitrogen environment. The fasteners are then ejected from the machine and placed into a storage tray that keeps them from rubbing up against each other and compromising the air seal on the threads.