Raytheon Technologies : Tooling the Key to Engine Program Evolution

Unique tooling solutions used across Pratt & Whitney's business aviation, commercial engines and military engines businesses enable employees to go beyond the limits of conventional tools and deliver the results customers depend on.

As Pratt & Whitney employees evaluated the challenges of launching the PW800 program, team members were determined to produce an even better engine for their customers.

'It's a program still in its infancy from a life cycle perspective,' said Andrew Bowers, PW800 operations and component repair business manager, Pratt & Whitney, Bridgeport, West Virginia. 'In any such environment you're going to face some headwind. And at a time when we were kept apart due to the pandemic, we needed to break down barriers.'

They are doing just that with tooling.

Some tools were already designed for the PW800 but were targeted for a new production environment. Aftermarket tooling must be flexible to service engines in different configurations - assembly and disassembly.

'That,' recalled Bowers, 'forced the evolution of how the team operated - pushing us to think of outside-the-box solutions to achieve tasks.'

So engineers and technicians in West Virginia worked with colleagues in Canada to take on what Pratt & Whitney does as a matter of regular practice around the world: producing affordable tooling solutions for customers by removing walls that often divide an organization. They used benchmarking, redesigning and collaboration in the face of adversity.

These improvements include everything from the capacity to more easily remove and install the intermediate case to the ability of building various engine modules that will decrease reliance on carriers, core carts and other more expensive, complex tools. These measures will help the program be more efficient and the setup be under budget.

'One of the most rewarding aspects is when the team is so engaged and takes such pride in what it is doing that it solves problems you haven't even encountered,' said Nathan Weese, facilities and tooling manager, Pratt & Whitney, Bridgeport, West Virginia who estimated there are more than a dozen new tools under way on the PW800.On the commercial engines side of the business, 'When engines arrive in Dallas for work or inspection, it's critical to give them a proper assessment,' said Benson Tse, field services senior associate.

Pratt & Whitney has been successful in using the borescope to diagnose an issue and blendscope to fix the problem, streamlining the repair process and saving customers time and money.

Borescopes inspect confined areas to ensure safe and reliable operation of aircraft parts by delivering high-resolution images of internal engine detail. The probe's fiber-optic bundle illuminates the inspection area with light generated by the probe, where there is a miniature camera. It takes advanced measurements - looking at every single aspect.

'The blendscope is used to address an imperfection that is seen through the borescope. Doing so eliminates the need for expensive repairs at the shop,' Tse said. 'The engine has internal components that spin at extremely high speeds, which could result in the ingestion of Foreign Object Debris [FOD] that could cause damage.'

The blendscope is a grinding tool that goes into the engine to repair the damage - thus saving the engine from a costly tear down during a shop visit to replace the blade.

Tooling has been equally transformational on the military engines side of the business.

The aftermarket military engines team has completed a key F119 Analytical Condition Inspection (ACI), where it used three digital tools that are revolutionizing the way Pratt & Whitney analyzes, stores, and aggregates inspection data.

'First, we use Blue Light Scanning (structured light scanning) that augments traditional full-part dimensional characterization. Second, the 4D Inspection tool generates accurate and precise defect characterization data - and is beginning to replace traditional inspection techniques,' said Brian Clark, customer support engineer. 'Third, we tied all this together in P&W Inspect (PWI), capturing visual and dimensional information including raw-scan data, dimensional data recording, inspector narratives and image captures.

'PWI has great features which will take us into the future,' he added. 'It's completely scalable. Currently we're using it on F119, F135, TF33, PW1100G-JM, and PW1500G engines, with plans to expand to other programs,' he said, 'In today's modified work environment this is especially critical to keeping all the engineers at Pratt & Whitney and the customer fully engaged in the Material Review process.'

The evolution of tooling happens throughout Pratt & Whitney and is a catalyst for improvement in process safety and efficiency. It is essential to sustaining long-term success.

'Creative juices flow when engineers and operations professionals collaborate - regardless of whether it is commercial or military. It's also great for team building, Weese said. 'Just by nature we like to fix stuff or find a way to make it work better.'