Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced June 19 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Eaton Corporation's Electrical Sensing and Controls Division to develop its Stress Wave Analysis technology for rotorcraft drive system condition monitoring. Curtiss-Wright provides this technology through its Swantech business, which operates within the Flow Control segment.
Swantech's patented Stress Wave Analysis (SWAN) technology incorporates hardware and Web-based software to detect minute levels of friction in critical components where deterioration is problematic. This enables operators to identify component deterioration well in advance of conventional vibration and temperature-based monitoring systems, thus avoiding unscheduled downtime. Swantech's existing business is primarily in the marine, power and process markets.
Eaton is a world leader in rotorcraft drive system condition monitoring. Over a period of 50 years, its patented oil debris sensors and related products have been in operation on virtually every helicopter ever built in the
Under the terms of the MOU, Swantech intends to give Eaton the exclusive right to sell SWAN into the vertical flight market, commonly known as helicopters. Eaton will deploy SWAN technology to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and military flight standards and co-market the new product with the SWAN and Eaton brands. The initial agreement will be for three years with an option to renew.
"This is an exceptional endorsement of our patented technology," said Curtiss-Wright chairman and CEO Martin R. Benante. "We acquired Swantech less than a year ago because we recognized the high compatibility with our high-performance products. We believe that Swantech is in the early stages of its development and will continue to provide us with numerous opportunities for expansion in our processing, nuclear power, and defense markets."
Swantech holds six