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.
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“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