The Welding Institute (TWI), one of the world's leading independent research organisations, has ordered a Thompson linear friction welding machine to further develop its materials joining technology expertise for the aerospace industry.
The Cambridge-based establishment is set to take delivery of the E20 model from the award-winning manufacturer early next year and will use it for welding a range of parts such as blisks and airframe structures in a variety of materials including titanium, nickel and aluminium alloys.
To be announced on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, the order marks another milestone in Thompson's development of a range of linear friction welding machines. It recently produced the world's first commercially-available linear friction welding machine, the E100, for joining parts up to 10,000mm².
“The linear process offers many benefits for aero component makers in comparison to machining parts from solid billets,” explained Nick Edge, Thompson's global sales manager. “In particular, it provides significant opportunities to save vast amounts of raw materials and substantially reduce buy-to-fly ratios. Thanks to the Institute's decision to update its linear friction welding equipment, TWI members will soon be able to learn more about the advantages of this highly-capable process which has been used by jet engine makers to join safety-critical components for more than 20 years.”
Thompson's E20 linear friction welder, which has a 20 tonne forging capacity, features an open platform design, making it flexible for joining a wide variety of parts typically used in the aerospace sector, but also in other markets including automotive and power generation.
Equipped with Thompson's latest software for data capture and weld monitoring capabilities, the machine is suitable for joining similar/dissimilar materials in almost any shape from rings and blades to fans and square metal contactors.
“TWI is delighted to be working with Thompson to further explore the exciting opportunities offered by the linear friction welding process. The value and impact of this technology is rapidly increasing, especially in the aerospace industry,” said Dr Mike Russell, manager of TWI's Friction and Forge Processes Group.
www.linearfrictionwelding.com
