07 December 2009
Additional radio frequency (RF) testing capacity enables Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics to better serve customers.
Ravenna, OH – Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics announced today it has completed the installation of a second microwave anechoid chamber for radome RF transparency testing.
“This second test range was added to improve product flow times, customer response, and manufacturing flexibility. ” says Steve Hoelzer, Plant Manager of the Ravenna site for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. “Starting in 2008, we applied LEAN and SIX SIGMA tools to analyze and identify areas of improvement, and the range was one of them. We expect testing time to be improved as well as turn-around time to be shorter. When customers send us their radomes for repair, their aircraft are grounded somewhere in the world. They need their radomes returned as fast as possible, and this second range will help in that process.”
“The new chamber is mechanically identical to the existing chamber,” notes Dave Stresing, Engineering Manager, “but it’s lengthened to better meet far-field RF testing for all commercial airborne weather radar. Consequently, the quality of the results will be improved and we will be able to test and service a wider range of aircraft types.”
“Adding another test range enables Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics’ aerospace business to meet an important requirement of the market,” says Patrice Lallement, Marketing Manager. “Ranges are expensive and many repair facilities don’t make the investment. We decided to invest not only in one range but in a second one, to offer our customers the best possible service. This second range will allow our engineering staff to develop new products and evaluate new technologies without affecting testing time for repairs and in-line production.”
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics aerospace business is based in Ravenna, Ohio, and specializes in the design, manufacture, repair and certification of high-performance aerospace composites and Norton® radomes that utilize proprietary Norton Armor™ and Storm View™ technologies. These advanced technologies increase performance, reduce maintenance costs and extend service life for aircraft composites that are critical to aircraft operation.
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, part of the Innovative Materials Sector of Saint-Gobain, is headquartered in Aurora, Ohio, and employs 4,400 people in 15 countries. It is a world leader in high-performance plastics, including flexible tubing applications, seals, coated fabrics, films, foams, polymer products and bearings.
Headquartered in Paris, Saint-Gobain is the world’s leading producer of construction products and innovative materials such as abrasives, high-performance plastics, industrial ceramics and reinforcements; it is also the European leader in flat glass, packaging (glass bottles) and distribution of building materials. In 2008 Saint-Gobain had worldwide sales of $64.4 billion, and employed 209,000 people in 59 countries.
For more information, visit www.radome.com or call (330) 296-9948 ext4105.
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Contact: Patrice Lallement
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics
335 N. Diamond St, Ravenna OH 44266
Ph: 330-298-4105
Email: patrice.lallement@saint-gobain.com