Photo By Greg L. Davis | Aluminum shavings fly from a block being milled down by a Kearney and Trecker Vertical...... read more read more
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As Tinker Air Force Base celebrates its 75th Anniversary, we now live in a world dominated by high technology. Despite this, some of the best value for the money comes from industrial machines which are decades old, and like Tinker, still going strong.
Buildings 3001 and 9001 are Tinker’s main industrial work centers. Here parts and components are made and everything from engines to entire aircraft are disassembled and then made whole again before being sent back to the operational force. Each building is massive and contains a labyrinth of the most high-tech industrial machines operated by some of the Department of Defense’s most skilled craftsman.
However, deep within these labyrinths are dinosaurs from a bygone era which still roar to life daily. These machine dinosaurs are largely extinct having been replaced by newer, often highly-computerized, machines in industry and which surround the legacy machines on the production floors here. Tinker’s relics have names from once prominent manufacturers in the Second Industrial Revolution like Bullard Machine Tool Company, Giddings and Lewis Machine Tool Company and R.K. Leblond.
What makes these vintage machines different from those around them is their impressive longevity and ability to pump-out precision industrial metal products for pennies on the dollar. In the hands of skilled machinists these machines are used to drill holes, mill steel and aluminum parts and create industrial masterpieces with incredible precision and tolerances. These parts may hold wings on aircraft or become jet engine blades which rotate tens of thousands of revolutions per minute in the harshest conditions.
One vintage machine, a Kearney and Trecker Vertical Turning Lathe, machine number 801047, has a purchase date of Jan. 1, 1961, but was entered in to Tinker’s inventory system on Aug. 1, 1966. Joshua Weiser, 553rd Composite Material Maintenance Squadron machinist was working to mill down aluminum blocks to help repair damage to a slip-joint on a large aircraft like a KC-135 and described why he enjoys working on this particular machine. “The old machines when they were made were built to last. Just like cars,” he said while smiling. Motioning toward the machine he continued, “I use it for drilling, milling and anything else I need to do.”
Weiser likes this older machine compared to the newer fully computerized ones because, “I’ve gotten to know all its quirks and I think it would be hard to go back to a newer machine. I know everything I need to do without having to think about it.” While placing another finished block of aluminum on to a growing stack of perfectly uniform pieces he said, “Oh, man we are getting our monies worth with this thing.”
Recognizing value for money seems to be what endears almost every one of the machinist across the base who operate the ‘vintage’ machines.
One of the most recognized machines at Tinker is approaching 30 years old and performs work critical to the engine overhaul mission here. Machine #OC10394, is a massive blade tip grinder located in Bldg. 3001 under the 548th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron, OC-ALC. Better known as “Big Blue” the Butler Machine Tool Company has large computer banks which control how rows of jet engine blades are measured and ground down to tolerances the width of a sheet of paper. Manuel Leon is the primary operator of ‘Big Blue’ and had good things to say about what it does for the Air Force.
“It’s built well and we do routine maintenance on it twice a year. It keeps us going. It brings the blades down to a smaller diameter,” he explained. “It not only grinds (the tips), but also measures using a laser. It’s an older machine that’s been here for over 30 years. It’s been reliable though,” concluded Leon.
This machine is so critical to engine production that when it is down for maintenance it becomes a high-visibility item with leadership. Information provided by the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron which is responsible for this machine shows that in early 2018 ‘Big Blue’ will undergo a $600,000 full overhaul and upgrade to install new, modern computers and components. The current system is 30 years old and has sustainability issues due to the lack of parts and pending obsolescence. The upgrade will keep ‘Big Blue’ operational for another 15-20 years.
These machines help keep the aircraft flying. What’s even more impressive in a time of tight budgets is these machines were so well-built they continue in-service while being surrounded by more expensive machines which have been repeatedly replaced over the years. These machines last so long because they are were all built with heavy steel cases and structures which are hard to wear out. And if they do, then their components can be overhauled and replaced to keep them running. Another reason they’ve lasted so long is the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex does not use these machines as often or as hard as they were originally designed to be used. Therefore, less wear and tear has increased their longevity.
One final example is a machine used within Bldg. 3001 by the 548th PMXS. Machine # AF800118 is a lathe used to fashion metal rings to specific tolerances for the third and fourth compression stages of TF33 engines which are mainly used by the B-52. Machinist Justin Salinas of the 548th PMXS described the dark painted and well-worn behemoth as, “A solid machine from an operational standpoint. This one was manufactured in the 1950s and just that fact alone, that it has lasted this long, tells you it’s an amazing machine. It doesn’t cost the Air Force a whole lot of money to keep these running,” he said.
After Salinas placed another ring on to the lathe and got it spinning, he continued his praise for the machine he says is simple compared to modern machines and, “maybe a little slower, but it’s very accurate and I like working on it for that reason. They’re solid metal tanks!” When comparing to his favorite vehicle he said the machine would be, “A 1955 Chevy pick-up truck, for sure. Cool style, solid and a beast.”
| Date Taken: | 11.27.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.23.2019 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 256506 |
| Location: | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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