Embraer names PPG Aerospace 'Supplier of the Year'
October 18, 2005 - Airframe manufacturer Embraer named PPG Aerospace - Transparencies a "Supplier of the Year" in recognition of the superior quality and performance of windshields and other cockpit windows that PPG supplies to the company and its airline operators.
The supplier award, given in the category of mechanical equipment, acknowledges PPG’s achievement in improving the quality and efficiency of the windshields and windows it provides to Embraer and in supporting operators of its aircraft.
“PPG is honored to be recognized by a company the caliber of Embraer,” said Mark Cancilla, global business platform manager for transparencies, PPG Aerospace. “With the good relationship we have developed over many years with Embraer, together we are able to meet the challenging requirements of today’s operators for windshields and windows with superior service reliability.”
PPG produces original-equipment and replacement windshields and side cockpit windows for a number of Embraer’s models.
In other Aerospace-related news:
PPG Aerospace spearheads major advances in sealant technology
PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto has developed the aerospace industry’s first lightweight multipurpose aerospace sealant meeting requirements for sealing both fuel tank and fuselage fasteners. Developed for Airbus, the sealant is one-third lighter and cures two-thirds faster than previous-generation sealants. It was designed to replace as many as 10 products at Airbus. The new sealant addresses a number of issues faced by airframe manufacturers.
“Today’s aircraft and production methods require higher performing sealants,” said John Sands, global business platform manager for aerospace sealants, PPG Aerospace. “An airplane as large as the A380, for example, needs lighter weight materials. High build rates require faster curing sealants. And having subassemblies constructed at different sites requires commonality of products to eliminate complexity in the range of sealants used to reduce inventory and waste.”
PR-1782 aerospace sealant is the first sealant to meet those requirements, Sands added.
PPG Aerospace strippable coatings system available on new Airbus A380s
A new PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto coating system can be specified by airlines ordering Airbus A380s.
The selectively strippable system consists of chromate-free Desoprime CA 7049 high-solids primer, F565-4010 chromate-free intermediate coating, and Desothane HS CA 8000 high-solids polyurethane topcoat. It will provide environmental and application benefits and reduce repainting downtime and materials costs.
According to Alan Schoeder, global segment manager, commercial aerospace coatings, Airbus A380 operators can take advantage of the system to reduce their strip and repaint cycle by up to 20 percent as compared to stripping coatings down to the airframe.
“With the new PPG selectively strippable system, the original primer stays on the airframe surface during repainting, so stripping time for an in-service aircraft can be reduced by as much as 24 hours, and potentially another 24 hours would be saved with reduced surface preparation,” Schoeder said. “Compared with a conventional strip and repaint cycle of 10 days for a widebody aircraft, using the PPG selectively strippable system could reduce the cycle to eight days.”
ExpressJet selects PPG Aerospace windshields
Windshield failures in aircraft can have a major impact on airline operations through increased repair costs and decreased plane availability. When ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., which operates as Continental Express, faced that issue, the company turned to PPG Aerospace for better performing, more cost-effective windshields.
“We teamed with PPG Aerospace because they offered a long-term solution to improve the performance and reliability of our windshield system, while mitigating the expenses associated with unplanned windshield replacements,” said Jay Perez, ExpressJet staff vice president of material services.
ExpressJet Airlines selected PPG Aerospace to supply windshields for its fleet of ERJ 145 XR long-range regional jets based on a reliability data analysis that demonstrated performance and resultant cost-saving benefits, according to Anthony Stone, PPG global director, aftermarket transparencies.
Under the contract, PPG will supply windshields for retrofit on 80 airplanes and installation on 24 airplanes on order with Embraer. The PPG ERJ 145 heated windshields have a modified Aircon deicing system providing enhanced optical quality and uniform heating, Stone said. The windshields are made at PPG’s Huntsville, Ala., plant.
PPG Aerospace to provide materials for Airbus, Lockheed Martin military transports
PPG Aerospace - Transparencies has been selected by Airbus Military as the sole-source of cockpit windows for its new military transport aircraft.
PPG has begun preliminary design of the transparencies for the A400M, which will have two main windshields and four other cockpit windows. PPG is developing solutions to meet Airbus’ challenging specifications, including ballistics resistance and high visible-light transmittance to allow night vision goggle use.
In other military contract news from Paris, PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto’s PRC seal caps have been chosen for Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets. Lockheed Martin is exploring the potential for application on the F-22 fighter as well.