Eaton’s joint venture with Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. (SAMC) reached a key milestone last June when it began offering duct, tube and hose repairs at its Shanghai facility. Expanding maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities in the APAC region is part of Eaton-SAMC’s commitment to provide reliable, cost-effective solutions to meet customers’ needs.

“We understand why our customers are increasingly demanding repair solutions — just one repair can save as much as $50,000 compared to replacing with a new part,” said Scott Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Fluid and Electrical Distribution Division, Aerospace Group, Eaton. “By opening a local repair facility for our customers in the Asia-Pacific region, we are able to help airlines around the world reduce costs by delivering timely, full-service repairs on all duct and tube products, including those manufactured by our competitors.”

Many repairs performed by Eaton-SAMC’s repair station also involve product upgrades that will deliver improved performance and extend service life.

In addition to expanding MRO capabilities globally, Eaton’s duct and tube repair business has enhanced capabilities to perform more complex repairs and digital inspections. Eaton’s new automated non-disruptive inspection solution, Auto NDI, is a digital process for duct and tube maintenance that provides fast, reliable repairs along with significant cost-savings.

Auto NDI uses 3D scanning technology to quickly inspect components, evaluate their serviceability and generate repair quotes without parts leaving the customer’s facility. With the ability to detect flaws as minor as .003-inch surface dents, Eaton’s digital process provides levels of precision and accuracy that are far superior to manual inspections.

From beginning to end, Auto-NDI can help reduce traditional inspection time by 50 percent and cut repair turnaround times by as much as 80 percent. A video explaining the Auto NDI process is available here.

Eaton is working to expand its Auto-NDI technology for a variety of applications beyond tubing and ductwork and plans to integrate Auto NDI with adjacent technologies as part of a complete digital transformation that will help customers achieve new efficiencies on the ground and in the air.