Project Remit
A Chinese aerospace company was looking for a global press manufacturer capable of producing a novel Superplastic Forming / Diffusion Bonding (SPF/DB) press for the manufacture of light aero structures.
The machine required was a Titanium hot-forming press (Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-GAI-4V) to produce alloys with a composition of 90% titanium, 6% aluminium, and 4% vanadium. The components produced needed to have a high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent corrosion-resistance, and good weldability.
The Rhodes Solution
Rhodes Interform produced a 1,400-tonne Superplastic Forming Press designed specifically for the manufacture of general air frame components. The company’s engineers worked closely with its Far Eastern representatives to meet the client’s exact requirements.
The company designed, project-built, manufactured, tested, and commissioned the hydraulic press on site at its factory in Wakefield. The machine was then disassembled and reassembled at the client’s premises in Beijing, China.
The machine featured a lower bed shuttle table, which moved out from the rear of the press.
The client required alternative methods of component loading:-
- Individual components placed in fixed dies attached to the press platens from the front of the press.
- Heavier modular component/tool pack assemblies shuttled out of the rear of the press.
Although the customer wasn’t able to discuss their components due to intellectual property constraints, they required a highly sophisticated machine with four-line gas forming, implying complex multi- sheet formed components. The Rhodes Interform press is capable of forming materials up to a maximum temperature of 1000OC. The press was PLC controlled and included integrated features such as structure cooling, as well as precise speed, tonnage, and temperature control.
Peter Anderton, Technical Director for Rhodes Interform, explains: “As a business we are known across the world for the quality of manufacture of our superplastic forming presses. This was a prestigious project in the Chinese aerospace sector, with a bespoke-designed press created by our engineers to suit the client’s needs.”
Rhodes Interform is at the forefront of Superplastic (SPF), with global patents in place, and is onre of the world's leading manufacturers of SPF/Diffusion Bonmding presses.
The company has the capability to service the needs of a wide international customer base with reference sites as far afield as Asia, Europe, and North America. The Beijing order was one of 12 projects, each individually designed and tailored to suite client requirements.
In addition to manufacturing state-of-the-art hydraulic and mechanical presses, Rhodes Interform also reconditions and upgrades its extensive range of existing machines at a fraction of the cost of buying new. The company can also offer full PLC control system upgrades with software designed to meet the individual requirements of each customer.
For more information, please call the technical sales team on +44 (0) 1924 371161.
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