Selective Electroplating Technology Improvement (SETI)

Current F-18 sustainment involves brush plating to repair corrosion damage both off- and on-aircraft. Current methods expose depot artisans to toxic chemicals, including Cd and hexavalent chromium, that drip, spill, and can be dragged around the plant. Dalic in France has developed a new design of non-drip brush plating equipment for general MRO aircraft repair. Corrdesa has developed computational methods for corrosion prediction and mitigation, and for design of electrochemical equipment and processes. This computational approach will be used to identify F-18 corrosion issues and mitigation coatings, while also computationally developing and qualifying the COTS Dalic equipment and chemistries for F-18 depot repair. Non-drip repair procedures will be developed and qualified for the most common repairsNi, Cd, ZnNi and SnZn plating and anodizing, as well as electrochemical stripping in preparation for repair. The F-18 airframe requires unique brush plating tools for some coatings and areas, such as SnZn plating for EMI on doors and airframe. Non-drip tools will be developed computationally to plate these areas efficiently. The project will also carry out the necessary work to integrate the approach into the depot environment, including defining Standard Operating Procedures, Process Instructions, Local Process Specs, and operator training.