Technology innovator EWI is pleased to introduce its new Aerospace Forming Consortium. A launch event was held at the AeroMat 2018 meeting in Orlando, FL, on May 8, 2018.

For the aerospace industry, it is a major challenge to ensure that manufacturing processes adapt to handle new materials and to integrate them with existing forming processes or novel forming technologies. Due to the expense of these materials and processes, developing flexible net-shape forming processes to replace or minimize expensive conventional manufacturing processes is a key goal.

"The decision to fund implementation of flexible net-shape forming processes can be beyond the risk tolerance of any individual company or group within the aerospace industry," said Ian Harris, EWI's Technical Director for Aerospace Solutions. "To address this challenge, we are joining with industry partners to initiate the Aerospace Forming Consortium."

The May 8th launch event at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando will bring together OEMs, part suppliers, material producers, forming equipment builders, and academia to discuss important issues related to the current practice and advancement of sheet metal forming technology in the aerospace industry.

The event will include a reception and program to introduce the new consortium. Technical presentations and discussions will feature the following:

- Advanced flow forming and spinning processes

- The incremental radial forging of turbine blade preforms and hollow-shafts

- Applications of real-time and nondestructive monitoring tools for cold forming aerospace structural parts

For more information about the Aerospace Forming Consortium, contact Ian Harris at iharris@ewi.org.