Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Metal Technology Office uses a variety of technologies to replace aircraft parts and support repair operations across the force.
The office's team applies additive manufacturing, heat treatment, welding and other methods to help repair teams maintain aircraft, Wright-Patterson AF Base said Friday.
“We are the subject matter experts for the Metals Technology career field, which involves additive manufacturing, machining, welding, heat treating, parts repair and fabrication,” said Che Dacalio, an engineering technician at the office.
Dacalio's team visits U.S. sites to look at the work of metal technology shops and deliver needed training. Major U.S. commands have a total of about 190 MT shops.
"We seek to maximize MT Shop utilization to sustain continuous Air Force flight and improve mission generation by supplying parts on demand, anytime, from almost any Air Force installation and at a fraction of the costs when compared to similar contracted efforts," the engineer added.
For example, the office helped U.S. Air Force Academy model an already-obsolete spinner backing plate of a T-51 trainer aircraft. Afterward, Dacalio arranged with an MT shop at Luke Air Force Base for the local production of new spinner backing plates.
