Squadron integrates new repair capabilities Published March 19, 2012 By Dan Mitchell 551st Commodities Maintenance Squadron TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 76th Commodities Maintenance Group is entering a new era of aircraft repair. As the 551st Commodities Maintenance Squadron integrates its shops into Bldg. 9001, they are also integrating new capabilities to increase the depths of repair on structural items used on the C-135, B-52, B-1 and E-3 weapon systems. This new capability requires input from five different shops in three different flights within the 551st CMMXS. The success of this can only be attributed to the teamwork and great attitudes of dozens of employees. The 551st CMMXS recently stood up new capability in its metal bonding shop in Bldg. 9001 to repair or manufacture all honeycomb bonded structures. These structures are designed to be extremely light and strong through the use of first generation composite materials. The aluminum "sandwich panels" bond honeycomb aluminum between two sheets of metal with structural adhesives. The manufacturing process requires specialized equipment to contour cut the honeycomb, special surface coatings, autoclave curing and custom-designed molds manufactured to very tight tolerances.. Sheetmetal mechanics Nicky Payne, Doug Wilcox and John Fleck from the Flight Control Tab shop led the charge to establish this new process. Commodities engineer Todd Bayles designed the vacuum assisted curing mold with the ability to stabilize the honeycomb during the contouring process and form the part during cure. Commodities engineering prototyped the capability as it went through the tool path process with Richard Gallant, from CNC programming, leading that effort. Recently, Commodities engineering and the 551st CMMXS prototyped the first, near new, build of a ruddevator. The ruddevator, the wing that controls the in-flight movement of the refueling boom on a KC-135, is an all-aluminum composite teardrop shape. These structures gain weight throughout the life cycle with repairs. When it gets too heavy, it can no longer be balanced and the item has to be condemned. With the new capability, 90 percent of the structure is cut out and rebuilt with all new materials. This returns the weight back to original condition and breathes an additional 15 years of life to the part. Other applications of this capability include the manufacture of trailing edges on flight controls and control tabs to address critical parts shortages often found when trying to procure these complicated structures. The 551st CMMXS is now able to make the parts that will complete the assemblies in the repair shops. This new technology is more present in modern aircraft and positions Tinker AFB for a very bright future including the beddown of the KC-46A where these type structures are more extensive.