by Staff | Nov 7, 2011 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI
THE MYSTERY A manufacturer of aircraft parts was having mystifying issues with their Turco tank. Sometimes the customer could turn on the machine and the burner with no problem — but then 10 minutes later it would randomly shut down and sound an alarm. At other times...
by Staff | Sep 29, 2011 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Furnaces and Ovens
THE MYSTERY An ACES customer producing carbon fiber molding for the aircraft industry had a large oven (18′ x 10′ x 10′), which they thought was working just fine — however, they had an opportunity to land a new contract if they could prove their...
by Staff | Sep 1, 2011 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Oil and Gas
THE MYSTERY A local aircraft manufacturer has a fuel farm of ten large tanks, each storing 30,000 gallons of Jet A fuel. A valve on each tank opens to allow fuel to flow in and out to tank trucks or other tanks. When one of these valves failed, the customer called in...
by Staff | Mar 18, 2011 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Furnaces and Ovens
THE MYSTERY ACES performs the annual gas train safety checks on the ovens and autoclaves for an aerospace parts provider. One of steps of the safety checks is the combustion blower airflow or pressure-proving switch. When the ACES Control System Investigator was...
by Staff | Jul 16, 2010 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Furnaces and Ovens
THE MYSTERY The temperature controller of a 20-year-old vacuum furnace had gone completely dark. This furnace was a critical piece of equipment for the owner, a local aircraft plant. The original manufacturer of the controller no longer supported it — but they would...
by Staff Writer | Mar 29, 2010 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Yaskawa VFDs
THE MYSTERY A Yaskawa 515 variable frequency drive at a local aerospace company wasn’t starting. The VFD had been working correctly until suddenly stalling in its tracks. THE CLUES Upon arriving on the scene the CSI immediately recognized that the VFD run light was...
