Friction-stir additive layer manufacturing project aims to slash titanium material wastage, boost production speed

Cranfield University, CADAM specialist Delcam, Airbus Group and the University of Bath are working on a £995,000 project that began at the Cranfield University Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Centre in January 2014 and which runs to December 2016. The group is investigating a process called RAWFEED - Rolling Assisted Wire Feed Direct Deposition for Production of High Value Aerospace Components. The RAWFEED process uses a welding torch to deposit a continuous bead of material on a titanium baseplate, creating the first layer of the component. The layer is allowed to cool and is then rolled to enhance the material's properties. This process is repeated until the required 3D shape is completed. The RAWFEED process Managed by Airbus and supported by £630,000 support from Innovate UK (previously the Technology Strategy Board - TSB), the research is looking to validate a cost model and define the machine architecture and specification to exploit the industrial potential of this emerging technology. Says Adrian Addison, a senior research fellow, who is managing Cranfield University's RAWFEED project: "As a leader in the field of wire deposition, we are using a large friction-stir-welding machine from a previous TSB-funded project as the test bed for RAWFEED. This large gantry machine is capable of providing the forces and motion control required for the cold rolling requirements of the process." Delcam is providing software for the project over a wide range of machine tool and robotic platforms, while the University of Bath's Laboratory for Integrated Metrology Applications (LIMA) will develop a measuring system that will help control and quality assure the process. Adds Curtis Carson, head of systems integration – manufacturing engineering at Airbus Group: "Airbus currently procures £250 million of these [titanium] components every year, so the savings in terms of waste and production efficiency are enormous. "We are proud to be associated with this cutting-edge technology project, which is a continuation of the work to date on additive layer manufacturing, and confirms its potential for industrial scale application. "RAWFEED could dramatically transform the way high value aerospace components are manufactured, as part of lean and efficient UK industry of the future. We, and our partners, are very grateful for the support of Innovate UK, which is continuing to join us in investing in innovation in the UK aerospace industry."