The work of the Imagineering Finishing Technologies team was on full display with the launch of the Artemis 1 Space Launch System moon orbiting mission conducted by NASA.
Jim HammerThe historic launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, included the Orion spacecraft built with critical components processed by IFT in South Bend, Indiana.
The Artemis 1 mission is NASA’s first test flight of its Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon this decade. Artemis 1, SLS launched an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 42-day flight around the moon. The Artemis 1 Mission will enable astronauts to orbit the moon for the first time since 1972.
IFT provides non-destructive testing, paint, and chemical conversion coatings on rocket components, including the SLS fuel tanks and the Orion spacecraft, which will deliver astronauts deep into space for continued exploration of the moon and eventually travel to Mars.
“It is incredibly satisfying as a trusted metal finishing advisor and supplier to watch a live launch of a spacecraft knowing that Imagineering processed some of the components being carried into space,” said Jim Hammer, CEO of Imagineering Finishing Technologies.
IFT has been an integral part of NASA’s next-generation space program over the last 10 years. In 2012, IFT was contacted by a prime NASA contractor about processing one of the first components for the Orion spacecraft as a trusted metal finishing and testing advisor.
In fact, IFT’s technical team, led by Dan Englebert, VP of Technical Services, collaborated with Global Specialty Chemical and the contractor’s engineers to develop the proper chemical process.
“I was impressed with the collective intellectual capital that went into the success of this world-class process,” Englebert says.
Nick Hammer, IFT’s Facilities Manager, says with the successful prototyping processing of those initial components, the company received a request from the contractor to establish a proprietary process to prototype an 18-foot dome cap for the fuel tank on the SLS rocket.
“We accepted the challenge, this time requiring us to make significant modifications to our Indianapolis plant layout and co-invest with them to build a permanent processing system to manage those parts,” he says.
Since the first project, IFT has processed hundreds of large components for NASA’s Space Launch System platform. In 2018, the company was recognized by NASA as an appreciated supplier for its support of the Space Launch System (SLS).
IFT provides high-performance surface finishing solutions for a robust range of markets that address the most exacting application requirements. It was founded in 1959 by David Huber, a space scientist. IFT facilities are certified to world-class quality and environmental standards and are one of the first metal finishing companies in the world to achieve TS-16949, ISO 9001, AS 9100, and Nadcap quality program accreditations, in addition to attaining the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification.
Visit www.iftworldwide.com
