• The FATAL project, covering titanium and aluminum additive manufacturing, is based on new additive manufacturing processes using titanium, aluminum and steel alloys. It aims to develop new applications in the fields of aerospace, automotive and energy, which require innovative lightweight designs with high strength. For Fives, this project could have applications in the manufacture of industrial equipment for energy applications.
• The IMPACT project, which stands for Investigations for Manufacturing Processes Adapted to ComposiTes, targets the automotive, aerospace and energy sectors to define the most relevant technological solutions for forming composite materials. The setup of an industrial research facility supporting these sectors is being considered.
Each of these projects is carried out jointly by French research institutes and industrial groups, encouraging the development of the most advanced technological solutions for manufacturers' needs.
The Jules Verne Institute, based in Nantes, France, is a shared research center of excellence in advanced manufacturing technologies – Fives' core expertise – in industrial sectors such as aerospace, energy, shipbuilding and land transport (particularly the automotive sector).
Along with international development, innovation is one of Fives' key strategic development areas; in 2014, Fives invested €33.1 million in research and development and held, at the end of 2014, 1,852 existing patents, including 53 applications filed during the year.
