Quintus Technologies will supply a high pressure fluid cell press to France's LAUAK Group, a Tier 1 supplier to the aerospace industry. The press will be installed at the LAUAK Aerostructures factory in Grandola, Portugal, in September 2023.

Reaffirming its continued commitment to productivity enhancement, LAUAK selected the Quintus model QFC 0.7x1.8-800 press with high pressure technology to bolster its manufacturing efficiency.

“The forming press is undoubtedly at the heart of sheet metal production,” says Mikel Charritton, LAUAK Group Managing Director. “Especially in the context of the current aerospace ramp-up, in particular the A320, A350, and B737 programs, LAUAK's capital equipment investments are strongly influenced by the imperatives of competitiveness. This press significantly increases and secures our production capacity.”

Quintus's proprietary hydroforming process requires only one rigid tool half, an innovation that not only generates significant tool cost savings but also eliminates several forming operations, intermediate heat treatments, and operator dependencies.

The Quintus press will operate at a high forming pressure of 800 bar (11,600 psi) over a work area of 700 mm x 1800 mm (27.6 x 73 inches) in the Grandola facility.

“Moving to a new, more powerful press will reduce manual rework times, thus improving our competitiveness, especially given the current challenges recruiting personnel experienced in sheet metal forming,” Mr. Charritton observes.

The equipment purchase was also influenced by LAUAK's previous experience with the press manufacturer. “We own a three-meter Quintus Flexform press in France, and we are very satisfied with it,” he adds.

LAUAK is complementing its press investment with the Quintus Care

Program, a rigorous agreement that ensures flawless press operation and equipment maintenance. The program provides for application support, high availability of spare and wear parts, and guaranteed and prioritized technical support. It also includes annual press inspections, training, and recertification of LAUAK personnel to maintain and elevate their skills.

“We are pleased that LAUAK has chosen to reinforce its cooperation with Quintus since the purchase of its first fluid cell press,” comments Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies. “We appreciate the opportunity to once again work with them to help strengthen their competitiveness.”