Kobe Steel begins mass production of titanium forged parts for Airbus A350 XWB landing gears

After entered into a supply agreement with Safran in 2013, the company undertook development and certification work. Kobe has now received certification from Safran as planned to supply the titanium forged parts. Marking this milestone, a forged part for landing gears was exhibited at Farnborough International Airshow.

The large forged parts are manufactured by the Japanese titanium manufacturer and its group company, Japan Aeroforge, based in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Japan Aeroforge is in charge of the forging process, while Kobe is responsible for product process planning, quality assurance and other processes.

Japan Aeroforge is a joint venture established in January 2011 by Kobe, Hitachi Metals and several other companies. Equipped with a 50,000-ton hydraulic forging press, one of the largest in the world, Japan Aeroforge manufactures large titanium forgings used in planes, where demand is expected to increase worldwide. Kobe and Japan Aeroforge are the first companies in Japan to succeed in developing and mass producing large titanium forged parts for landing gears.

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