INMA - Innovative Manufacturing of complex Ti sheet aeronautical components
Overview
Background & policy context:
Currently, aircraft industry uses complicated and cost intensive forming processes to shape complex titanium (Ti) sheet components, such as deep drawing, hot forming, super plastic forming (SPF) and hydro forming. In some cases, parts are even obtained by hand working. These techniques show severe drawbacks which include high costs, long industrialisation phases and high energy consumption rates.
Objectives:
The INMA project aims at developing an intelligent knowledge-based flexible manufacturing technology for titanium shaping that will lead to drastically reduce current aircraft development costs incurred by the fabrication of complex titanium sheet components with a minimal environmental impact. In particular, this project aims at strengthening European aircraft industry competitiveness, by transforming the current non-flexible and cost intensive forming processes into a rapid and agile manufacturing process. This brand new technology, based on Asymmetric Incremental Sheet Forming (AISF), will transform the way many titanium sheet aeronautical components such as after pylon fairings, fan blades, exhaust ducts or air collectors are manufactured today. The innovative, cost-efficient and ecological forming technology to shape complex geometries in titanium that will contribute to strengthen the European aircraft industry competitiveness meeting societies needs.
Methodology:
The main features of the innovative AISF technology to be developed will be an increased flexibility, cost reduction, minimised energy consumption and a speed up in the industrialisation phase.
The major impacts of the results obtained in the INMA project will be:
- Cost incurred by dedicated tooling will be reduced in a 80%;
- The component lead times will decrease in a 90%;
- Buy-to-fly ratios will be up to a 20% lower.
The INMA Consortium consists of end-users, an equipment provider, research organisations, universities and the EASN association. Participation of industrial partners who will directly exploit the project results will guarantee the impact of the project.
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