Environmentally compatible, safe and reliable degreasing in aircraft manufacturing
Trichloroethylene had been used at BAE Systems Samlesbury (UK) since the early 1980’s for degreasing aircraft components. In order to improve quality, sus- tainability and safety of the cleaning process, the com- pany looked for an alternative cleaning agent. Pretty much all options had been investigated during a period of nearly four years, but none could offer advantages similar to those of NEU-TRITM E Trichloroethylene offered by SAFECHEM Europe GmbH. It is supplied in the SAFE-TAINERTM closed-loop transfer system and with services to extend the lifespan significantly. In combination with a new state-of-the-art degreaser the consumption of solvent could be reduced significantly from around 5 tons a year to less than half a ton.
Comment: The UK is closer to deindustrialisation than reindustrialisation
"..have been years in the making" and are embedded in the actors - thus making it difficult for UK industry to move on and develop and apply...