Countries outside North America and Western

Europe with extremely low wage rates have taken

over the global production of the vast majority of

labor-intensive commodity products. Producers

of aerospace parts are fully aware of this threat

to their business, but fortunately have a viable

answer with the advent of new forming and tool-

ing technology.

Today's fluid cell presses with advanced tooling

designs can typically produce 12 or more parts

in two minutes or less with virtually no manual

rework. This cost-efficiency has already helped a

number of Tier 2 and 3 suppliers - who today do

the bulk of sheet metal parts manufacturing - to

be globally competitive.

Leveling the playing field for sheet metal parts

by Sture Olsson Avure Technologies

January, 2008 May 2013

It is all too clear that the aerospace supply chain is increasingly global, presenting serious competitive challenges to the once dominant players in Europe and North America. The major OEMs no longer call all the shots or take all the investment risks. Rather, strategic partnerships are being created with their Tier 1 suppliers, who are evolving from manufacturers to integrators.

Tier 2 firms along with their sub-contractors are assuming more and more of the manufacturing load, and are facing their own set of new problems: stricter quality standards, shorter lead times, insufficient capacity, extreme pressure to reduce costs, and new domestic competition from fabricators formerly dedicated to the automotive market.

The "de-automation zone"

"Hand-made" sheet metal parts

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Changes in the supply chain

Pressure on the lower tiers

Above all, however, is the threat of losing their business to off-shore sources. It is ironic that while component manufactur-ers in the west have relied on automation to offset their high labor costs, suppliers in other countries have appealed to their aero-space customers by doing just the opposite. Their strategy is to minimize upfront capital expenditures and increase the labor con-tent, all without (supposedly) compromising responsiveness or product quality.

Who are these countries? One would naturally think first of China, but it, along with Russia, Brazil, and to a great extent India, are committed to building their own domestic aerospace industries. De-automa-tion is currently most prevalent in Mexico,

Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe.

One of the major areas of manufacturing now relegated to established lower tier sup-pliers – and to their de-automated competi-tors – is the production of sheet metal com-ponents. These are predominantly aluminum alloy parts produced by various forming methods.

So how are lower-tier companies in the western world expected to compete with this off-shore threat? More automation is not the answer – new, highly efficient forming equipment is. Fluid cell pressing has long been used by OEMs and Tier 1s to accu-rately form a wide range of structural components. A flexible rubber diaphragm under ultra-high pressure forms the sheet metal blank over and into an inexpensive single lower tool half. Complex, highly

defined shapes are produced to very close assembly tolerances.

This process is not well understood by many lower tier suppliers. And many do not have the resources to invest in the large, integrated fluid cell systems used in the past by the OEMs. Today, however, there is a new generation of fluid cell technology designed expressly for Tier 2 and 3 vendors, those now charged with parts manufacturing.

Avure Technologies designs, builds and installs nearly 90 percent of all fluid cell presses sold worldwide. Their Flexform™ product line now includes economical smaller models that can form parts from three to six feet in length at pressures approaching 12,000 psi.

But the machine is only the beginning. Significant innovations in tooling design are yielding dramatic cost savings and increased productivity. Even the most intricate parts are consistently within tight tolerances, and can be formed and trimmed in a single pressing cycle. Little or no post-press finishing is required.

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Opportunity knocks.

Better parts, lower costs

In the labor-intensive countries, invest-ment in forming equipment is minimal. Mechanical, hydroforming and rubber pad presses are typically purchased used, and employ rudimentary tooling to produce rough approximations of the finished part.

The remainder of the process resembles blacksmithing. Workers literally pound the metal into its final shape, a lengthy process requiring skill and experience to meet specified tolerances. If demand rises, automation is not a viable option compared to the cost of more used equipment and the abundant supply of low-wage labor.

After the initial forming cycle on a low-pressure rubber pad press, this complex aluminium air intake lip skin has little part definition, minimal elongation of the metal, and numerous defects to be corrected.

After nearly 20 hours of hand-work, defects remain. This time-consuming process resulted in costly parts with high levels of scrap after testing.

Pressurized diaphragm

Sheet metal blankLower tool half

The lip skin shown above after high-pressure fluid cell pressing using an advanced tool design. Total production time was cut from 20+ hours to three, a reduction of 85 percent.

www.avure.com

Avure Technologies, Inc.210 Gothic CourtFranklin, TN 37067Phone: +1 615 224 2600Fax: +1 615 224 2621

Avure Technologies, Inc.8270 Green Meadows Dr. NLewis Center, OH 43035Toll Free: 800-959-1135Phone: +1 614 891 2732Fax: +1 614 891 4568

Avure Technologies ABQuintusvagen 2SE 72166Vasteras, SwedenPhone: +46 21 327000Fax: +46 21 141817

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Advanced tooling designs lead to a further benefit for complex parts that require a high number of discreet operations. High pressure form-ing using a redesigned tool has been shown to eliminate half or more of the steps in the original process. Here are some concrete examples of the cost savings achieved through new Flexform tooling concepts and process restructuring:

• A tail cone attachment ring was taking an average of 10 hours to produce on a low-pressure rubber pad press, with substan- tial hand correction and scrap loss. A new Flexform tool completed the ring to a tolerance of ± .030" in less than 30 minutes.

• A deep-flanged part with joggles and a tight bending radius, formed on a conventional tool, needed hours of rework to remove wrinkles and excessive springback. The redesigned tool cut total processing time by more than 80 percent.

• A long intricate structural post originally required 17 separate operations, including six cycles in a fluid cell press. Extensive process analysis and a new forming tool eliminated four press- ing cycles and seven other production steps, quadrupling the weekly yield, and cutting non-recurring costs in half.

Avure has already helped several Tier 2 and 3 suppliers with super- efficient fluid cell presses and advanced tooling designs. The cost savings are real, they are immediate, and should be carefully evaluated by parts fabricators who need to ensure that none of their business is lost to the de-automation zone.

Conclusion

Photos courtesy of Agon Consulting

Photo courtesy of Cessna Aircraft Company