ALCOA HOWMET
A division of Alcoa Power and Propulsion
Alcoa Howmet
4001 autoroute des Laurentides
Laval, Quebec H7L 3H7
Canada
450.680.2500
Alcoa Howmet
93 Mountainview Road North
Georgetown, Ontario L7G 4J6
Canada
905.877.6936
Alcoa Howmet
Zone de la Presaie 53602
Evron, Cedex France
33 2 43 66 61 61
ALCOA HOWMET
A division of Alcoa Power and Propulsion
www.alcoapowerandpropulsion.com
©2009 82009
T
E
C
H
D
U
R
A
C
O
M
P
N
O
L
O
G
Y
B
I
L
I
T
Y
L
E
X
I
T
Y
YOU WANT THE COMPETITIVE EDGE...
WE’RE RESPONDING
Aluminum investment castings help make
possible the competitive edge your engineering
team seeks when developing the next air
superiority jet fighter and the most fuel
efficient aerospace engines. Our production
capabilities — and engineering team’s
insights — enable us to manufacture thinwall, highly complex shapes for use in critical
applications where strength and durability
are most important. These advantages give
your design groups the opportunities to rethink
expensive, multi-part assemblies as single-piece,
lightweight aluminum investment castings.
YOU WANT ONE-PIECE ASSEMBLIES
WE’RE RESPONDING
A380 passenger jet
> ALUMINUM INVESTMENT
CASTINGS MAKE POSSIBLE…
F-35 Lightning II
• Superior military aircraft performance
• Light weighting for man-portable systems
• Fuel-efficient aircraft
• High-strength missile bodies
Aerospace turbine engines produce power so great that they lift tons of weight
into the air over distances of thousands of miles. The right mix of fuel and air is
the lifeblood that makes the turbines spin from departure gate to touchdown.
Sending the correct amount of fuel to the efficient engine is an aluminum fuel
metering unit produced by Alcoa. Possessing intricate passageways and one of
the most detailed exteriors, a fuel metering unit gets the fuel where it needs
to be at all times.
Fuel metering unit
> Single-piece components
offer many advantages
• Light weight to reduce energy use
• High strength for long-term durability
• Complex geometry for sophisticated structures
• Superior microstructure
> ALCOA ADVANTAGE
• Alcoa Business System drives quality
and innovation
• Best-in-class technology centers
• Rapid prototyping and concurrent engineering
• Expert guidance on converting multiple
assemblies to one-piece castings
• Worldwide production facilities
YOU WANT BEST IN CLASS...
WE’RE RESPONDING
With each new aircraft design, engine
manufacturers seek to deliver faster rates of
climb and cruising speeds, greater ranges and
reduced cost of ownership. They also look to
Alcoa to deliver on the promise of aluminum
to light weight critical components.
Alcoa responds with aluminum engine
components — such as front fan
frames and fuel metering units —
that contribute to fuel economy and
environmental friendliness.
YOU WANT LONG-WEARING COMPONENTS...
WE’RE RESPONDING
Alcoa’s
investment
casting technology
provides thin-wall
sections and serpentine
passageways in different
axes with its innovative
pouring techniques. When
business jet builders call for more
performance, engine manufacturers look to
Alcoa aluminum castings as a key enabler.
Boeing 787
Dassault Falcon 900EX
AH-64 Apache helicopter
> THE world’s most capable
combat helicopter
Aluminum front fan frame
AH-64 interface housing
> Alcoa casting
leadErship
• Thin walls
• Cored shapes
• Intricate passageways
• Light weight and durable
• Complex surface and interior features
• High-mechanical properties
• Large envelope casting
Alcoa is committed to providing products
and services of the highest quality and reliability.
Our facilities and processes are approved by all
major aerospace and defense contractors, and a
variety of customers servicing commercial and
industrial markets. In addition, many facilities
hold ISO and Nadcap certifications.
Front fan frame for a commercial jet engine
The AH-64 Apache, the U.S. Army’s premier
combat helicopter, tilts the course of conflict
when it engages the enemy at terrain-hugging
heights over a 300-mile combat action radius.
Aluminum investment castings — strong
and durable — offset the weight of armament
in several key component systems: the
Hellfire missile body and chin-mounted target
acquisition pod. The aluminum interface
housing secures systems vital to Apache
mission success. Alcoa stands with the AH-64
Apache warfighters to ensure that the world’s
most capable combat helicopter meets their
needs today and beyond.
YOU WANT CLOSE TOLERANCE...
WE’RE RESPONDING
From nose to tail, Alcoa aluminum castings provide structure and shape to the Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile.
Today’s smart munitions speed to their
targets relying on nonstop operation by
the most complex electronics systems
packed securely within their high-strength,
aerodynamic bodies. The U.S. Navy’s Tactical
Tomahawk cruise missile is no exception.
The Tactical Tomahawk, carried on ships
and submarines, has an aluminum body that
shields its guidance system during a fiery,
high-G launch. In supplying several investment
castings that make up the Tomahawk’s body,
Alcoa’s ground-breaking investment casting
YOU WANT PRODUCIBILITY...
WE’RE RESPONDING
It’s hard to imagine an activity in which the
words “design” and “tradeoff” are more often
paired than aircraft development. Take the
F-35 Lightning II, the most powerful singleengine fighter in history. Alcoa expertise in
metals and manufacturing is helping strike
seemingly impossible balances of speed,
safety, payload, fuel efficiency, stealth,
reliability, affordability, and producibility.
Aluminum castings by Alcoa on the Predator drone
contribute to its lightweight and long endurance, two
characteristics enabling it to loiter over areas of interest.
F-35 Lightning II
techniques make possible greater dimensional
consistency, lighter weight, and improved
assembly processes.
Mounted on top of several types of combat vehicles — including Humvees and MRAPS —
is a simple housing cast by Alcoa from lightweight aluminum. Yet the casting ably protects
the sophisticated surveillance electronics and optics that make up the LRAS … considered
by some to be the U.S. Army’s premier reconnaissance and surveillance system operating on
the modern battlefield. Alcoa is proud that our advanced casting technologies deliver the right
combination of light weight for mobility and strength for durability to deliver 24/7 operation in
the harshest environments.
Investment casting provides near net shapes,
which require a minimum amount of machining,
and forms thin or thick walls, intricate
passageways and sculpted surfaces at ever
increasing tolerances. Alcoa’s collaborative
engineering team looks for ways to improve
processes, reduce weight and get your product
to the market in the shortest amount of time
and with the high quality you expect.
The plane’s multiple missions require designers
to pack an extraordinary range of capabilities
into a rigorously limited envelope. Working
to eliminate weight, Alcoa has found ways
to deliver bigger, better, faster results in the
quest for a lighter fighter. One contribution
is the one-piece, aluminum engine nacelle
investment cast by Alcoa.
Tactical Tomahawk launch
> Platforms
• Commercial passenger jets
• Military helicopters
• Fighter aircraft
• Tactical missiles
• Military ground vehicles
• Unmanned air vehicles
Investment castings undergo evaluation
to ensure standards are met.
LRAS (long-range acquisition system)