Van's updates the manufacturer of laser-cut parts

Van's Aircraft has responded to reports of ruptured dented parts found in AirVenture's latest kit. These defects are caused by external suppliers changing the process of laser cutting parts. From February 2022 to June 2023, Van's moved some parts from traditional punch manufacturing to an outside supplier that can laser cut rivet holes. The move is designed to increase the company's throughput and reduce lead times and backlogs for kit deliveries. Rian Johnson, president and chief engineer, said only the thinner parts are outsourced in this way, and most of the parts are located in low-stress and non-critical parts of the fuselage. Van's has since stopped using lasers to cut parts in this application and, to help increase factory productivity, invested in a new, larger press.

The root cause appears to be a change in the way parts are cut. Initially, Fan specified that the laser would make a "pretzel" cut on the part - starting at the center, moving to the periphery, and finally back to the center. Apparently, the supplier changed the cutting path, starting in the middle, extending to the outside of the hole, stopping briefly and turning the direction to go around the hole, and finally stopping at the same point at the end of the cut. This causes a small portion of the metal to overheat.

Builders begin to notice these defects in parts, some of which are more serious than others, and then begin to see cracks after the holes indent. (The RV has a high riveting ratio of flat heads.)

During Tuesday's presentation, Johnson explained in depth the type of testing being done at the plant to determine the actual impact of the defect. A revealing fact is that the most loaded part of the flat head rivet is actually around the outer edge of the pit itself. In addition, cracks found in parts usually do not originate or end in laser defects.

For RV manufacturers (primarily RV-10 and RV-14 models in this case), the result is that some parts may be assessed as suitable for low-stress locations, but some parts, such as tail surface spars, will need to be replaced. The company has told builders to temporarily stop using laser-cut parts for construction. Johnson urged patience and let Van's complete extensive testing, said to take 45 to 60 days, before shredding any finished parts. He said the company needed to determine whether relevant parts were affected before finalizing the recommendation. Van's has also prepared a process for builders to receive replacement parts.

Source: Laser Network