«Alcoa» builds new plant

In mid-June, the corporation «Alcoa» has started construction work on the ultra-modern plant in the US city of La Porte, Indiana, which costs 100 million. USD. The plant will produce parts for aircraft engines of heavy-duty nickel-based alloys. The new plant will expand the possibilities of «Alcoa» on the world market of engines intended for commercial airliners, military aircraft, aircraft broad and narrow-body. According to Klaus Kleinfeld, chief executive officer and chairman of the board, corporations need to increase production capacity in the aerospace industry to be able to fully meet customer demand. The corporation has all the opportunities for the production of high-tech parts in sufficient quantity, taking into account the availability of expertise and technical capabilities. In addition to components for single-aisle aircraft corporation will be able to produce parts that are larger than the sizes manufactured at the moment by 60%. Designed these parts for aircraft engines exposed to high temperatures and pressure.

The total area of ​​the new plant will be 30 000 sq. meters, the construction work on the preliminary estimates will be completed in the fourth quarter of next year. Anticipated capacity provided by the agreements concluded with customers. Work enterprise process will be provided by the latest technology — 3-D printing prototypes, digital X-ray, «Blue Light» system for precise control of size and automated furnaces, equipped with the latest control systems to ensure 100% compliance with product specifications.

For the corporation «Alcoa» for the last two years, this is the second rather large project in Indiana, designed to increase the production of goods for the aerospace industry. In 2012, the corporation began construction of an industrial complex for smelting aluminum-lithium alloys in the city of Lafayette, the cost of which amounted to 90 mln. USD. Completion of construction and launch of the enterprise is scheduled for the second half of 2014, with production capacity growth in manufacturing of patented «Alcoa» aluminum-lithium alloys will be 20 thousand tons. Such alloys are widely used in the construction of more low-cost and lightweight aircraft, rather than by using composite analog.