Collins, RTX break ground on $200 million C/C brake facility expansion

On Aug. 27, Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, N.C., U.S.), an RTX business, celebrated the groundbreaking of its expansion at the Spokane, Washington, carbon/carbon (C/C) brake production facility. The site will add 70,000 square feet to its manufacturing space, increasing the site’s footprint by 50% to increase production capacity.

Not only will the facility enhance Collins’ commitment toward growing the workforce to match industry demands, it will also expand the company’s C/C brakes production capacity in the Spokane region to meet commercial aviation and military customer demand that is scheduled to take place over the next several years.

Collins’ SuperCarb and Duracarb aircraft brake materials are made from oxidized PAN fiber (OPF), a precursor to carbon fiber. The OPF fibers are first formed into 2.5D needled preforms, and then carbonized to convert them to carbon fiber preforms. Next, those preforms are densified by carbon chemical vapor infiltration (C-CVI) to produce carbon-carbon composites (more about brake development here). 

“We celebrate this milestone with our industry partners, customers, community leaders and employees who are crucial in supporting this advancement in technological innovation and that of the local Spokane economy,” says Matt Maurer, vice president and general manager for Landing Systems at Collins Aerospace. “This expansion is the latest development in the Pacific Northwest region in advanced technical innovation and manufacturing capacity to support the growing demand for our C/C brakes.”

The Spokane facility is one of three C/C brake production sites at Collins Aerospace that specializes in the production of braking systems with Duracarb disk technology.

For related content, read, “Collins Aerospace to invest $225 million in Landing Systems facility expansions in Fort Worth, Spokane, Pueblo.”