3M is at Farnborough showing a new tape that can prolong the life of helicopter blades.
The company has introduced a new polyurethane protective tape coating which is being displayed on an AugustaWestland blade.
“The tape is pre-shaped, so we can produce a shape for any configuration,” says sales manager John Cobb. “It is basically a protection against erosion to prolong the life of the blade, which means less downtime, which is key to our customers.
“Westland is our big customer. We specifically use tape on its Berp IV rota-blades but the technology is used on many different types of helicopter. We also do the protection for Lynx, Sea King and Apache, as well as fixed-wing aircraft.”
Source: Flight International