Manufacturing Savings and Increased Productivity Using the ForceMate® Bushing Installation System

Reduced manufacturing costs and flow time, along with increased structural fatigue life and reduced in-service maintenance problems can be realized with the Fatigue Technology Inc. (FTI) ForceMate_® (FmCx_™) system of installing high-interference bushings into aircraft structures. Bell Helicopter reported [1] a projected $24 million cost savings with the use of ForceMate. This paper will describe the ForceMate system in detail as well as an alternative bushing installation method, BushLoc, and the manufacturing benefits realized with their use.

The ForceMate bushing installation system installs bushings with a consistently high level of interference in a fraction of the time of traditional methods, such as shrink and press fit. It is a safer method, reduces hardware variability and provides a higher integrity bushing installation with significant structural fatigue life improvement.