Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is pleased to announce its new airframe/engine seal fire test facility located at its manufacturing facility in Northborough, Massachusetts in the U.S. This state-of-the-art fire test facility addresses aerospace manufacturers' growing need to meet varying fire test requirements to comply with industry and customer standards for vibration and air flow. Trelleborg is among only a few seal manufacturers that deliver comprehensive in-house qualification testing, now including fireproof and fire resistance testing.

The investment made to commission the extensive capabilities of this testing facility will enable specific tests to be conducted for customers with a variety of qualification requirements. This facility allows Trelleborg to conduct customer specific tests to meet a variety of qualification requirements, such as ISO/TR 2685, which calls for vibration and flame exposure of 1100 degrees Celsius / 2000 degrees Fahrenheit for fifteen minutes without allowing flame penetration or other defined failure modes.

Quinn Collett, Airframe Americas General Manager, says: “As a global leader in sealing solutions, Trelleborg is thrilled to be able to offer customers a fire test facility that will considerably speed the development of products without the delays involved in submitting to a third-party facility for validation. This approach strengthens Trelleborg's focus on its R&D initiatives and technical improvement capabilities.

“The Fire Test Facility fits well with the existing Global Marketing Aerospace test capabilities, which comprise a multitude of test rigs specific to aerospace seal applications. Trelleborg can assist customers in developing the ideal qualification test plans and procedures with customers picking which tests they need to have as proof of the capabilities of their products. Such a modular and forward thinking approach helps speed up response & development time while keeping costs down. Typical applications can include aircraft interiors, engine fire seals and ancillary components such as oil pumps and hydraulic systems.”