Jon,
Sometimes I just don't know what to think.
It scares the dickens out of me when I think about Americas major airlines farming out their jet engines or engine componants to folks who don't even have the most basic idea of how to refurbish them. I'm no Xenophobe, but rather a free market Capitalist, and if a foreign competitor can do better work at a lower cost than they should win.
But some of the examples I have seen of over seas, and even some U.S. repair shops that are taking in the farmed out work of the Major Airlines is just stunning.
Pratt, GE, CFMI, Rolls Royce, Allison, You name the jet engine manufacturer... They all have standard practice manuals with guidelines for alloy/filler matching tables, surface prep, annealing, post weld stress relief, materials handling, surface temper etching for HSS, pre/post heat... you name it. How does anybody win repair bids for 5 million dollar jet engines without some mechanisim to get the correct repair specifications?
The makers also have repair specifications that are specific down to part number families that provide repairable limits and specific step by step procedures for every componant that a vendor authorizes to be repaired... And the repair procedures are often quite different from fabrication guidelines.... a very important distinction!
This stuff is complicated! There are no simple answers. A full blown quality program is essencial.
It's not my intent to be stingy with data but if a facility does not have all the data tools I have mentioned above, along with a qualified engineering staff to make process/welding decisions, they don't have any business touching those componants.
Ok my pulse is starting to even out.... more later