FLASHJET™ COATINGS REMOVAL SYSTEM USE AT MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELICOPTER SYSTEMS

McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems recently installed a new type of coatings removal system. Called FLASHJET™, it is being used to strip coatings from helicopters prior to remanufacture. The system consists of a xenon lamp, low pressure carbon dioxide pellets and a debris/gas collection system. The lamp and carbon dioxide delivery port are located on a computer controlled gantry robot arm. The lamp, flashing at a controlled rate, heats the surface coating to the point were the coating is destroyed. At the same time, a constant stream of carbon dioxide pellets sweeps away debris while keeping the underlying surface from overheating. A filter system consisting of a series of High Efficiency Particulate Air filters and an activated charcoal scrubber renders discharged gas non-hazardous. The system requires approximately a quarter of the labor and a third of the material cost as used by conventional chemical stripping methods.