![]() Paul Kurtz, an intern with the Test Operations and Sustainment contractor National Aerospace Solutions, was tasked with working with the CBM group in 3D printing a new circuit breaker handle. ![]() “The piece is from the late 1970s, and from age and use, it broke,” Reagan said. The handle is a plastic composite that contains a spring loaded locking mechanism that prevents the circuit breaker from operating when it is locked out for plant maintenance activities. ![]() “It is part of the Lube Oil System that serves two of the air compressors that provide process air for engine testing.” “The piece is a component of the equipment that feeds air to the compressors for all of ETF,” explained Ronald Reagan, electrical engineer for Plant Operations and Maintenance at Arnold. The most economical solution was determined to be 3D printing the part, a circuit breaker handle used to supply a 20 horsepower, 480-volt alternating current motor to the lube oil system, which directly supports two of the process air compressors for C-Plant. When a decades-old part could no longer be purchased, the Plant Operations and Maintenance team at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Engine Test Facility at Arnold Air Force Base coordinated with members of the Condition Based Maintenance, group, or CBM, to determine how best to recreate the piece.
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