The three-year deal with the chipless forming expert will lead to further collaboration on research and development, with WF-Maschinenbau supplying an additional flow-forming machine to the Inchinnan-based AFRC.
The VUD600 vertical flow former is being used to expand the capabilities of the AFRC, allowing the development of smaller, more complex and a wider size-range of components that are of interest to companies within many sectors, including automotive, aerospace and oil and gas.
The Germany firm’s Tier 2 membership will also allow it to send engineers over to Scotland to conduct cutting-edge research, while the AFRC will have access to WF’s site in Sendenhorst, Germany, allowing it to carry out tests on parts that it is unable to undertake within Scotland.
Lynne O’Hare, commercial team lead at the AFRC, says: “WF-Maschinenbau is one of the most prestigious names in the global metals industry. We look forward to developing our collaborative efforts, resulting in tangible benefits for the metal manufacturing industries.
“The partnership will help us work across borders, pursuing manufacturing research and development opportunities while sharing skills to continue driving forward innovation.”
For more than 45 years, WF-Maschinenbau has been a market leader in flow-forming technology. Together with cooperation partners such as the AFRC, the specialist is developing new processes and materials to bring the advantages of flow-forming technology into new fields of application.
General manager of WF-Maschinenbau Heiko Ohlscher adds: “We are proud to have the AFRC as a powerful cooperation partner. Together we are able to extend the development of flow-forming technologies, making it available for a broad range of applications in industry.”
The AFRC also recently secured Mitsubishi Materials Group as a Tier 2 member. Mitsubishi Materials Group will use the AFRC as a test facility in the development of new products and manufacturing processes that will be used to produce metal components for use in a range of industries – including oil and gas, aerospace and automotive.
