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"Building every engine as if we will fly it ourselves."
That is the core quality and safety motto of Lycoming Engines, 652 Oliver St. in Williamsport.
With an employee base of 600, many of them military veterans, America's leading manufacturer of piston aircraft engines offered the members of the Innovative Manufacturers Center (IMC) and their guests a tour to see how the aircraft engines are assembled, tested and shipped around the globe.
The industrial visit completed the IMC Manufacturing Month tours.
The tour started in Lycoming Engines' museum, which features engines and imagery of the company's history, before each of those visiting were provided safety glasses and headsets enabling the tour guide to speak directly with each person without having to shout on the factory floor.
A highlight was a stop at the Lycoming Engines Memorial Wall, which is dedicated to the employees who are military veterans and for those who retired from the company.
The tour went by areas of precision machining, assembly and labs that did testing of the components and final engines.
The tour demonstrated the technology used with one machine that measures parts down to 0.0001 inch. That is one-50th thinner than a human hair.
A walk along the path showed the various processes of their
engines manufactured from start to finish.
It was interesting to find out the aviation engine plant receives raw bar stock, forgings, castings, and other raw materials and they will make small pieces and parts from those.
They showed components of the engines such as crankshafts, camshafts, connecting rods, and rocker arms.
The company manufactures its own pistons and machine cylinder heads and cylinder barrels.
There were specialists looking for any defects and blemishes on components.
Some parts can be either installed into an aircraft engine or sent out as spare parts for engines that are being overhauled or repaired.
An example of this are cylinder kits.
An amazing technology is the ion nitriding area. They incorporate this advanced thermochemical heat treatment directly into their production. The heat treating gets rid of waste stream byproducts. The process is meant to harden the crankshaft and cylinders for prolonging their life
Technicians perform non-destructive and sometimes destructive testing to ensure there are no internal cracks or defects on the parts and components. Non-destructive testing is, according to a Lycoming Engines employee, one of the majors for students at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The final engine inspection area was fascinating to see, as workers carefully combed over each engine section, rotating the engines to ensure the correct assembly and parts were installed.
Lycoming Engines produces over 700 variances of engines and that is why the inspection is the way it is done.
The company history indicated it first made sewing machines, then bicycles, automotive engines and then aviation engines.
In 1929, Lycoming Engines produced its first piston-powered aviation engine.
It has been at the forefront of developing innovative and reliable engines for a variety of aircrafts since then.
The plant is known for its durable and high-performance engines that have powered countless aircrafts, from small recreational planes to larger commercial and military aircrafts and those used for aerobatics.
The workers there are unrivaled and each one is skilled at their job, acknowledging their commitment to being a part of a corporation dedicated to precision and professional manufacturing of piston-powered engines.
Lycoming Engines has continuously invested in research and development to improve its engines and meet the changing needs of the aviation industry.
Each engine is designed to deliver optimal performance, fuel efficiency, and reliability. The many parts.
This is the 97th year in aviation for Lycoming Engines and that happens as America celebrates its 250th anniversary. There were several tours of the plant recently..
The company prioritizes innovation by embracing new technologies and advancements in aviation to enhance the capabilities of the engines it manufactures.
Lycoming Engines values its workforce with family-sustaining wages and is yet another prime example of the incredible industrial base here in Lycoming County.