Technology panorama — Independent expertise — Advisory & integration

WCI
— West Coast Industries

Technology panorama — Independent expertise — Advisory & integration

WCI — West Coast Industries is a recognised player in its technology field. Kronos Engineering, as an independent special-processes expert, brings a neutral perspective on these solutions — audit, benchmarking, multi-technology integration. With no commercial bias toward any brand, we steer you to the technology that genuinely fits your use case.

WCI — West Coast Industries technologies — overview

Mastered technology

split mandrel cold working

Qualified alternative

hole cold working tooling

Typical use cases

▸ Cold working of bores in aerospace structures
▸ Take-over and qualification of existing processes on WCI tooling
▸ Tooling migration and second-source cold expansion

Standards & compliance

BACC 5060AMS 2432

The Kronos difference

Kronos Engineering does not distribute WCI — West Coast Industries equipment. Our expertise lies in special processes and their qualification — this neutrality is our guarantee of technical objectivity: we recommend what is genuinely best for your part, your standard, your production volume.

Context and positioning

WCI (West Coast Industries, Seattle, USA) is, alongside FTI, one of only two global players in hole cold expansion. Its signature technology: split mandrel cold working — sleeveless expansion using a split mandrel — used on many aerospace programmes to improve the fatigue life of structural holes.

Kronos Engineering masters the split-mandrel process and works on WCI-equipped installations: operation, audit, second opinion, qualification. As an official partner of FTI — the other global cold-expansion player — we are the most relevant contact to objectively compare both technologies, secure a second tooling source, or migrate a process from one platform to the other according to your OEM specifications.

Typical operations

Cold working operation on WCI tooling

Split-mandrel implementation on your parts — process sheets, expansion control, final reaming, full traceability.

WCI installation audit and second opinion

Independent verification of parameters, tooling condition and compliance with applicable OEM specifications.

Split mandrel vs split sleeve benchmark

Objective comparison of both cold-expansion processes for your case: specification, access, production rate, cost per hole.

Second source and tooling migration

Supply security through our official FTI partnership — specification compatibility analysis, transition plan, requalification.

Why Kronos on WCI — West Coast Industries

The only expertise covering both global players. Cold expansion is an FTI / WCI duopoly. Kronos operates both technologies and is an official FTI partner — nobody is better placed for an objective choice or transition.

Supply continuity. Programme dependent on a single tooling source? We analyse your specification compatibility and secure a qualified second source.

Complete process qualification. BACC 5060, OEM specifications, NADCAP: our process files cover installation, testing and documentation through to customer validation.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kronos work on WCI-equipped installations?+

Yes. Our teams master split-mandrel cold working and operate on WCI tooling for operation, audit, second opinion and qualification — in accordance with the applicable OEM specifications.

Can a WCI process be replaced by FTI (or vice versa)?+

It depends on your OEM specification: some impose one technology, others accept both cold-expansion processes. We analyse your case, verify compatibility and manage requalification where needed. As an official FTI partner, we secure supply of the selected solution.

Why benchmark split mandrel against split sleeve?+

Both improve fatigue life but differ in practice: split sleeve (FTI) usually avoids hole rework, split mandrel (WCI) works without a consumable sleeve but requires final reaming. Production rate, access, cost per hole and documentation requirements vary — an objective benchmark avoids a default choice.

Audit, operation or
WCI — West Coast Industries integration?

Talk to an independent expert

WCI— West Coast Industries