MATERIALS, PROCESSES & FINISHES
more complex and robust machinery is needed to handle and maintain uniform temperatures and prevent material tears. Additionally, ensuring even pressure application across large surfaces necessitates advanced control systems, and the size of the tooling and dies also sets limits on the part dimensions. However, technological advancements are continually pushing these boundaries, enabling the production of increasingly larger components and should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”
SUPERCHARGED POTENTIAL As part of the NATEP project, further funding has been secured to evaluate the carbon footprint of the new process, which could be cut significantly due to shortened heating and forming times, as well as using lower temperatures of around 800°C. Additionally, when exposed to high temperatures during SPF, an oxide layer is formed on titanium components – known as alpha case
– which requires powerful acids to remove. The new SPF approach uses less heat and, therefore, also reduces the layer thickness and associated time spent to remove it. Project partner AFRC has previously
investigated the hybrid technique, and now this latest collaboration is exploring how the process can be scaled up for the aerospace sector’s industrial needs. “Our team has a combined 200
years of experience in material science, modelling, and SPF, which makes us well-placed to support the development of new techniques that could make a big impact on the entire aerospace industry,” says Evgenia Yakushina, Forming Team Lead at AFRC. “This work has the potential to unlock opportunities for manufacturers to offer improved, quicker methods of producing key parts for aircraft. So far, the research has demonstrated huge potential with important parallels between the new hybrid method and the traditional approach already evident.”
NEXT STEPS The commercialisation process of the hybrid SPF technique has already begun, with SDE leading the industrialisation of the manufacturability of components using this process. This has fine-tuned the SPF process for a variety of materials and applications, and seen it protected by intellectual property rights. “Market analysis identified key
industries, such as aerospace and automotive, where SPF’s unique capabilities offer significant advantages,” says Gill. “SDE has started to communicate the unique benefits of this SPF, such as the cost effectiveness of the process versus the non-SPF process, bringing in scope much needed economies whilst delivering superior quality and design capabilities, ensuring a strong market presence.”
For more information visit
www.sde.technology
www.engineerlive.com
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