Spirit AeroSystems Installs Automated Press System
Beckwood Press Company (St. Louis, MO) and Midwest machinery distributor Kansas Oklahoma Machine Tools, Inc. (KOMT; Wichita, KS) recently delivered the first-ever press with automated die change to Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. (Wichita, KS) for use in their Joule Form™ manufacturing process, a proprietary method developed by Spirit for shaping metal parts at elevated temperatures in the fabrication of aerospace components. Using this automated press system, they will be able to efficiently form lightweight titanium parts by directing energy only where it is needed, ultimately decreasing machined-part costs.
“This is an emerging manufacturing improvement for shaping metallic plate products that can replace more expensive techniques, such as die forgings and extrusions,” explained Kevin Matthies, the senior vice president of global fabrication at Spirit. “Implementing this new technology will allow advanced production for parts such as those for propulsion systems. No one else in the industry has a comparable high-tech and cost-saving solution for this application.”
“We are continually on the forefront of new manufacturing technologies because research and development is at the heart of every press we build,” said Jeffrey Debus, the president of Beckwood Press. “This exclusive system will revolutionize Spirit’s titanium forming operations around the globe.”
