Robot on the wire

Traditional methods for the manufacture of large titanium aerospace parts can waste up to 95 per cent of raw material, but a technique being developed by an international research project promises little or no scrap.

The process, shaped metal deposition (SMD), manufactures components by building them up from welded wire - typically titanium alloy or aerospace-grade steel which reduces the machining needed to achieve final component design.

Rolls-Royce patented and first demonstrated the technology several years ago. Now researchers are looking for a way to automate the entire process as the system requires continuous monitoring and control by a human operator.

The three-year Rapid Production of Large Aerospace Components (RAPOLAC) project involves eight academic and industrial partners from the UK, Belgium, Italy and Argentina.

Now at its halfway point, the project is using a prototype SMD cell at Sheffield University's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).