412th MXS brings heavy metal to Edwards aircraft Published July 9, 2007 By Senior Airman Jason Hernandez 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- When a metal portion of an aircraft breaks, whether it is nuts, bolts or sheets of aluminum, it requires the expertise of a special shop to fix it. The sheet metal shop, an element of the 412th Maintenance Squadron, is comprised of approximately 25 people who turn pieces of metal into integral parts of an aircraft. "Our basic mission is to provide support for all U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School aircraft," said Donald White, training manager for the sheet metal shop. "Everything we do here is for items being tested for use down the road by the warfighter. For example, some of the things that are being put on B-1B bombers here may be put on B-1s at other bases." The metals the shop works with can range from ten thousandths of an inch up to one inch thick, said Christopher Ball, an aircraft structural mechanic for the sheet metal shop. "Aluminum is our staple material," he said. "We also use titanium, stainless steel, some galvanized metals and cast materials. However, aluminum is what the majority of aircraft structures are made of." A metal component that flightline crews can remove from the aircraft and take to them will be repaired at the sheet metal shop, Mr. White said. If it can't be removed, the sheet metal shop will dispatch personnel to the aircraft. "If an aircraft has stuck screws on the flightline, we're the guys they call to remove them," Mr. White said. The sheet metal shop fixes holes in aircraft, broken brackets, tubing and any other metal part of the airframe, he said. The shop also performs work for propulsion, fuels and aerospace ground equipment, as well as mass production of parts that engineers design. "Engineers have their own modification section where they actually install things on the aircraft," Mr. White said. "At Edwards, they're testing new 'toys' they want to put on an aircraft. If they find something that works, normally we will put it into mass production for them and they will install it." The tools required to perform sheet metal work are mostly automated, he said. One of the newest tools is called a waterjet. The machine will cut steel up to three inches thick and aluminum up to five inches thick. The machine uses high pressure water and crushed garnet to cut the metal, Mr. Ball said. "It's an automated machine that uses computer aided design," Mr. White said. "Back in the old days, we used to lay everything out by hand. Now, we are doing everything on computer and sending the data to the machine." Something that would take a week to lay out and cut in the past is now done in a couple of hours, he said. The system is a two-dimensional program that works well with flat sheets of metal. Computers are also used to maintain a database of parts and designs. "Back when we first started with sheet metal guys, a project done six months ago would have to be laid out and built all over again," Mr. White said. "The Auto-CAD system saves all of the information that would have been lost. A design can be pulled up in seconds." One project the sheet metal shop developed is a collection system for cleaning aircraft engines. "The water coming out of the engines contains chemicals that can be unsafe for the environment," Mr. White said. "Two big hoses collect the water into an old fuel tank as the engine bays are flooded. We made it from scratch except for the fuel container." Despite the use of automated machines, some work must still be done by hand because they are working on aircraft that bend and stretch over time, Mr. White said. "We're all one big team," Mr. Ball said. "We're proud of our work because we take care of the aircrafts' structures and keep them flying."