Fine Tubes Secures Nadcap Accreditation for Aerospace Manufacturing

Fine Tubes Ltd. (Plymouth, England), a unit of AMETEK Specialty Metal Products (Eighty Four, PA), has been awarded a Nadcap accreditation for Chemical Processing. Nadcap is an internationally recognized accreditation system that covers the key manufacturing and production processes used within the aerospace industry. Representing the fourth Nadcap approval awarded to Fine Tubes, this latest certification places them in a unique position, because very few companies hold four Nadcap accreditations simultaneously. Moreover, they anticipate receiving yet another accreditation shortly, for Fluid Distribution Systems.

Their first accreditation was awarded for Heat Treating in 2004, followed by Non-Destructive Testing (Ultrasonic Testing) in 2005 and Fusion Welding in 2013. Chemical Processing is a critical part of their production process. Tubes must be chemically milled after the cold-working and heat treating manufacturing processes by being etched to ensure they meet the customer specification requirements. “The tubing we manufacture is designed to withstand in-process fatigue loading and failure is not an option,” said David Killoran of Fine Tubes. “When aircraft manufacturers need tubing, they inevitably look for suppliers who can demonstrate the most stringent quality standards. This accreditation is widely viewed as confirmation of that, and with every accreditation that we earn we further enhance our ability to win new contracts.”

To achieve this latest accomplishment, the company undertook an intensive on-site inspection and investigation by a Nadcap auditor that covers all aspects of the process – the machinery, consumables and methods employed, as well as the qualifications and experience of the staff involved in the process. “The auditor found no failures to comply with the Nadcap criteria and that is a major credit to their production team involved in the audit,” explained Dr. Abdul Saeid, a process engineer at Fine Tubes.

Fine Tubes and their U.S.-based sister company, Superior Tube (Collegeville, PA), have both supplied the aerospace industry with high performance tubes for more than 50 years. Their precision tubes are used in airframes, aircraft engines and aerospace instrumentation, where they are relied upon to withstand the most-critical operating conditions.

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