Lockheed Martin has purchased 50 Dalistick Systems for F-35 Sustainment from Corrdesa, the company says. Corrdesa is now under contract to supply an initial 50 units, with options for 40+ per year for the following three years, to equip the growing number of F-35 squadrons around the world.
The Dalistick plating/anodizing unit is designed as a closed-loop system that pumps electrolyte from the bottle, through the plating tool where it repairs the aircraft, and back into the bottle for clean, no-touch disposal when it is depleted. The operator need only clean, smooth and measure the area to be repaired, glide the plating tool over the damaged area until the machine shuts off at the predetermined plating thickness, and apply a non-chromate passivate. The aircraft can then be non-chrome primed and painted, and put back in the air.
Lockheed Martin’s fifth generation F-35, is not only considered the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world but also the greenest. It is designed and produced with mission readiness and the warfighter’s success in mind, but at the same time almost all cadmium, chromates, and other toxic materials have been eliminated from construction and maintenance.
Toxic chromated cadmium for corrosion control has been replaced by clean, safe, and more effective chromate-free electroplated zinc nickel (ZnNi). For new-builds this is done in large, commercial electroplating tanks, but when the coatings are damaged in the field on-aircraft repair is required for a quick turnaround without substantial disassembly.
Over the past 7 years, DoD funding from SBIRs and SERDP-ESTCP has helped Corrdesa to develop and qualify non-drip brush plating and anodizing repair processes, equipment and tooling. Partnering with Dalic, France, the Dalistick non-drip brush plating equipment has been tested and further developed to address repair challenges in the USAF, US Navy maintenance facilities, and aircraft carriers, which require safe operation on deck at sea.
Brush plating is typically done in a hangar, where drips and spills of plating chemicals can be controlled, channeled, or at least wiped up to avoid exposing workers to harmful chemicals. But brush plating outside on the flight line or a pitching carrier deck is an entirely different proposition. For that the F-35 Ground Support Equipment (GSE) plating systems are installed in custom-designed ruggedized carts, enabling repair directly on the aircraft in harsh conditions. Being able to repair the aircraft with non-drip, no-mess technology saves time and returns it to service as fast as possible.