March 17, 2022 - No. 18 In This Issue : Norsk Titanium sees commercial aerospace structural parts as largest opportunity : The first of many: Women in Tech Ops : Gulfstream Digitizing Engineering History orsk Titanium sees commercial aerospace structural parts as largest opportunity Norsk Titanium AS, headquartered in Oslo, Norway, has released its second half of 2021 report and presentation noting key successes. The company generated revenue of USD $1 million from the sale of additively manufactured parts and USD $1.4 million in other income, namely grants from the Norwegian government through Innovation Norway and Skattefunn. Total revenue and other income for the full year 2021 was USD $5.3 million. The average monthly cash spend during the second half of 2021 was slightly higher than in the first half of 2021 at USD $1.9 million. Norsk Titanium ended the period with a cash balance of USD $22.9 million. Referring to its Rapid Plasma Deposition® (RPD) technology for additively manufactured parts for the Boeing 787, Norsk Titanium builds on a strong manufacturing foundation as it expands into other industries. During the second half of 2021, the company continued to progress with testing for the defence industry and delivered its first industrial-scale part using its Software Development Kit, RPD Builder™. “Although our largest opportunity continues to be in commercial aerospace structural parts, we capitalised on the slow-down in the commercial aerospace market to expand our reach to the defence sector and other industries, which has allowed us to further develop our product design capabilities,” stated Michael J Canario, CEO of Norsk Titanium. “In the second half of 2021, we achieved a major milestone by delivering the first part designed with our RPD Builder™ Software Development Kit. We closed 2021 actively working with global, tier-one customers across a variety of industries and part complexities, all in different stages of RPD technology adoption. I am excited to see this expansion of our capabilities into new markets as we continue our progress in commercial aerospace and look forward to building on these efforts in 2022 and beyond.” www.norsktitanium.com https://www.metal-am.com/norsk-titanium-sees-commercial-aerospace-structural-parts-as-largest-opportunity/ The first of many: Women in Tech Ops Every year, aircraft maintenance crews from around the United States test their skills and knowledge during the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC). The event, which recognizes and celebrates aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs), puts the aviation industry and the AMT profession on a national stage. What’s different this year? American’s first-ever all-female team will be competing for the first time. AMTs Elena Gonzalez, Meylin Concepcion, Pari Soneji, Allison Codd, Malinda Hamm and Regina Patronie are coming together from across the country to represent American’s first all-female AMT team, named Women in Tech Ops. AMT and team lead Elena Gonzalez, who is based at Miami International Airport, reflects on what inspired her to compile an all-women team this year. “A few years back when I went to the AMC as a member of the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance, it was so amazing to see everyone competing, but the first thing that came to mind was why aren’t there any women teams representing American?” Elena said. “Everyone deserves a chance to put their best foot forward, and by doing this, there may be other women who feel inspired to get involved.” The team is looking to make a change, not only in a historically male-dominated competition, but the profession as a whole. Allison Codd, who has been with American since 2018 and is based at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, always knew she wanted to pursue a hands-on career and was surprised to find a path in aviation that let her do just that. Now, she hopes to spread awareness about this field to other women. “Sometimes some of the more technical careers within aviation are not explored enough by women.” Allison says. “It’s not always about the muscles and heavy lifting — there’s more to the job than that and women should know this is a career that is open to them.” And while there’s been an increase in women joining the aircraft maintenance field, the path for women breaking into the world of mechanics hasn’t come without its own set of challenges. “To be quite honest, as a female in this field, sometimes it feels like we have to work 20 times harder,” said Meylin, an AMT based at Philadelphia International Airport. “I’m in a man’s world, so I have to make sure that I’m representing at all times.” But even with the added pressures of measuring up to their male counterparts, the rewards are always worth it. The Women in Tech Ops team accompanied by a student from Tarrant County College during their practice session this month at the Tulsa Base Maintenance facility. “Personally, I feel like I’ve always had to prove myself working with mostly men. I want to show them that I can do the same job, and I don’t need help doing it,” added Malinda, an AMT located at American’s Base Maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “As the years have gone by, more women have entered the field and that’s fantastic. I’m glad there’s an avenue for them to go to, because this is a good job, it really is. I feel blessed to be in this position.” Pari Soneji worked as an aeronautical engineer in India, but when she migrated to the States, she attended Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology and to her surprise, felt inclined to leave the desk job for a more hands-on role. Now, she has a positive take on what her profession allows her to do and the possibilities it can provide others looking for a meaningful career full of opportunity. “I’m happy being an AMT because I actually get to be around the aircraft I studied and learn about the systems more hands-on,” said Pari, who works at John F. Kennedy International Airport. “Yes, you have to prove yourself at times, but don’t let that discourage you. There are so many people who will be there to support and encourage you. You have to work hard, yes, but we as women can do whatever we set our minds to.” To women considering a career in aviation maintenance, Elena said: “Keep your options and mind open — don’t limit yourself. You don’t know what you’re capable of until you try, so have that confidence within yourself to push forward so that you can open doors for yourself.” When asked what they are looking forward to the most at the competition, everyone on the team agreed it was getting to meet other female mechanics from around the country. Regina Patronie, who started her AMT career with US Airways in 1999 and is based at Pittsburgh International Airport, shared how the industry has changed throughout the years and why seeing more women in the field is so special to her. “I have been doing this for many, many years, and back then, there were not very many of us women in this field at all,” she said. “There are a lot more women in aviation now and I think it is absolutely wonderful that women now have a voice in this field.” The team has been busy practicing and excitedly await competition day, where they will represent American Airlines AMTs from around the world. “We’re very excited about showcasing this team for American and showing what we can bring to the table,” said Elena. “We are a diverse team in both cultures and skillsets. We bring different personalities to the table that allow us to learn from one another and grow both as individuals and as a team.” And while this is the first time an all-female team will compete for American, it certainly won’t be the last. “Getting to know these women and seeing how they communicate and work together has been really inspiring to see,” Elena added. “I believe this will be the first of many all-female teams that compete in the years to come.” https://news.aa.com/american-stories/american-stories-details/2022/The-first-of-many-Women-in-Tech-Ops-ID-W-03/default.aspx Gulfstream Digitizing Engineering History • Gulfstream Aerospace engineering vault filled with tubes of documents and blueprints from floor to ceiling • While undertaking an effort to digitize all of its engineering documents, Gulfstream will maintain the original blueprints in its climate-controlled engineering vault. Gulfstream Aerospace is developing a digital database to preserve decades of its aircraft engineering documents. The Savannah, Georgia aircraft manufacturer is converting all records, CAD files, and other documents into machine-readable PDFs, which are then cataloged in a searchable database, dubbed the Aircraft Information Retrieval (AIR) systems. “This new system will save our engineering, manufacturing, and customer support professionals thousands of working hours,” said Sheryl Bunton, the senior v-p and chief information officer at Gulfstream. Documents are currently housed in an “engineering vault” stationed in the company’s main manufacturing facility, behind an unmarked door, and maintained by a team of engineering archivists and data analysts. Gulfstream likened the vault room to an “aircraft time capsule,” filled with tubes stacked from floor to ceiling holding seven decades of critical engineering documents, including hand-drawn blueprints of parts, cabin designs, and aircraft drawings. “You would never know it was here, but it is probably one of the more important rooms in our entire manufacturing facility,” Bunton said. “There are hundreds of thousands of documents, including many of the original drawings from the very early days of Grumman and Gulfstream.” Required to maintain accurate records for every model tracing back to the Gulfstream I that was first manufactured in 1958, Gulfstream said the goal of the project is to enhance data quality, preserve valuable documents, and improve usability and consistency. “We are always looking for ways to improve how we manage data and become more efficient. AIR not only digitizes hundreds of thousands of records but ensures we preserve this valuable history of our company,” she said. Gulfstream will continue to preserve its original drawings in the climate-controlled engineering vault. “These drawings are such a valuable part of our company’s history,” she added. “There is something about pulling out an original hand-drawn blueprint of a Gulfstream I and looking at how designers drafted that iconic aircraft more than 60 years ago.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-03-16/gulfstream-digitizing-engineering-history Curt Lewis