Reverse engineering the legacy technology transferred from OEM - gaskets and seals

The project focuses on supporting the US NavAir’s fleet of critical assets containing components that are no longer readily available. American Energy Technologies Co. (AETC) of Wheeling, Illinois, will re-design, modernize, and manufacture two of these parts in-house by reverse-engineering the legacy technology transferred from the OEM. The parts will be produced using the most advanced designs, rapid prototyping, and fabrication methods, including additive and subtractive manufacturing. Work under this effort will also involve the selection of suitable raw material, ensuring that it conforms to all design specifications, therefore allowing for the production of initial samples (first article prototypes). In the following steps, the set of press molds will be designed, built, and installed on AETC’s semi-automatic equipment, such as hydraulic presses, with prototype articles shortly generated thereafter. Quality assurance and control programs will be developed around the fabricated articles, requiring following products to conform to the specification laid out within said documentation. The culmination of work efforts on this project in Phase I will be the preparation of a Source Approval Resource (SAR), which is to be submitted to the government for review and approval.