Shockform Launches Upgraded Needle Peening Tool
The Spiker-ES enables peening to be performed using tungsten carbide needles, and the process parameters are continuously monitored, controlled and recorded.
Shockform (Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada) Aeronautique, the inventor and manufacturer of the FlapSpeedPRO, the Spiker and the SmartPeen, announce the launch of the new Spiker-ES needle peening tool.
According to the company, the Spiker has been developed with aero engines manufacturers for repairs directly on the engine with no risk of Foreign Object Damage (FOD). With the Spiker-ES, peening is performed using tungsten carbide needles and the process parameters are continuously monitored, controlled and recorded. The Spiker family is used for controlled pneumatic needle peening on engines and structures.
The new Spiker-ES comes with an embedded E-Strip, the latest innovation from Shockform to measure the peening intensity in real-time. The E-Strip has been inspired by the Internet-of-Things (IoT) approach, connecting machines with applications to improve data analysis and process control. The E-Strip intensity measurement sensor is reportedly meant to replace Almen strips that are currently used in the aerospace by the OEMs and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) industry to test peening impacts.
“The embedding of Shockform’s E-Strip technology in the Spiker-ES needle peening tool represents the start of a new era in the peening industry, where peening becomes more efficient, more precise and greener, since the embedded E-Strip sensor is meant to replace thousands of metal Almen strips with a few electronic sensors,” explains Brigitte Labelle, president of Shockform.
“We know that repair of hard-to-reach areas can take days, just for masking alone. With the Spiker-ES, needle-peening engine repairs are done in hours,” she continues. “Everything at the Spiker-ES has been developed by Shockform, from tool to needles and accessories, making peening repairs precise, efficient and safe.”
