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Invited keynote address speech at AIRTEC 2007

Invited keynote address speech at AIRTEC 2007

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Invited keynote address speech at AIRTEC 2007
Invited keynote address speech at AIRTEC 2007
Invited keynote address speech at AIRTEC 2007

Invited keynote address speech at AIRTEC 2007

Thursday, 8, November, 2007

Integrated development of high performance tools for efficient machining of difficult to cut materials in automotive and aerospace applications

Authors:

Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante – DIAD (IT)

Prof. Keith Ridgway – AMRC with Boeing

Dr. Eng. Mauro Comoglio – Centro Ricerche FIAT (IT)

On October 25th, Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante presented a Keynote Address in the Frankfurt AIRTEC2007 Plenary Session International Conference.

Airbus 380 – Courtesy of Airbus, Our Partner in the AFFIX Project:

Aligning, Holding and Fixing Flexible and Difficult to Handle Components

The speech focuses on the automotive, aerospace industries. In all these industries the need for enhanced materials performance is necessary if they are to remain competitive in global terms. The aerospace industry is currently under-going the changes originally experienced in the automotive industry with increasing acceptance that the OEMs are large system integrators and increasing use of sub-contractors.

This approach has a wide-ranging impact on future developments as the OEMs are pushing research down the supply chain. This creates the risk of creating a major discontinuity between the performance requirements of the OEMs and the manufacturing capabilities of the supply chain. As the OEMs require increasing performance it is essential that the supply chain have the manufacturing capability to cope with the enhanced material properties required.  This discontinuity is addressed in this proposal as new production processes will be developed to cope with the new materials and also the major design changes occurring in the industries considered.

The aerospace and automotive factories of the future will involve jig less assembly and more responsive manufacturing processes. 

This will include increased flexibility, including intelligent work-holding devises and fixtures, adaptive machining, active damping. These will be required to reduce manufacturing costs and increase the accuracy required for jig less assembly.

Al of these aspects have a major impact on machining tool.

Meeting with the Imperial College of London

Meeting with the Imperial College of London

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Meeting with the Imperial College of London
Meeting with the Imperial College of London
Meeting with the Imperial College of London
Meeting with the Imperial College of London
Meeting with the Imperial College of London

Meeting with the Imperial College of London

Tuesday, 13 September, 2016

In the always dynamic environment of London, it was held the meeting between Prof. Jianguo Lin, director of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Imperial College of London and Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante.
Some high tech industrial projects are already running between D4S Motorsport and this important UK institution. Target of the meeting was to explore future possible collaboration in the field of the advanced engineering, with a special attention to application of innovative manufacturing process for the production of a future generation of low-inertia powertrain components.

In the same days the meeting of the international project MMTECH was held at the Imperial College. This project relates with the setting up of a new concept of additive manufacturing process for aerospace components.

Industries, research centres and companies from UK, France, Italy and Spain are involved in this international collaboration.
MMTech will develop technologies and methodologies to process the gamma-Titanium material, which have the potential to save time and cost across the aircraft lifecycle (design, production, maintenance, overhaul, repair and retrofit), including certification aspects. It will target the integration of new and novel materials in aero-engine and aircraft structural components.

Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong

Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong

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Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong
Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong
Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong
Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong

Building the basis for future collaborations with the famous City University of Hong Kong In the fascinating environment of the always dynamic Hong Kong was held the first important meeting between the worldwide famous City University of Hong Kong, represented by Prof. Jian Lu, Executive Vice President of Research and Technology, and Dr. Sergio Durante, Executive Vice President of the multinational company D4S Group.

The topic of the meeting was focused on the future collaboration between the two institutions. The fields of interest discussed are mainly related to the application of advanced materials to the future mobility automotive sector, with a particular interest on a novel generation of energy absorbers, ultra high strength nano-structured metals and innovative surface engineering treatment.

The City University of Hong Kong, in the Department of Advanced Structural Materials sport a state of the art equipped laboratory and top level researchers.

The number and the quality of the publications permit the University to be ranked among the best-in-class worldwide.

More in details the Primary mission of the Centre for Advanced Structural Materials of Prof. Jian Lu is to develop a future generation of materials scientists, mechanics of materials researchers and design engineers to bring advance fundamentals and technologies in advanced structural materials.

Innovative solutions are created for different key industrial sectors, such as the biomedical, the automotive, the aerospace, and the sustainable energy.

The Centre’s objectives are to build a common research platform to attracts various members in the field of mechanics of advanced structural and functional material. Technology transfer is created by working with national and international leading companies; training top level multi-disciplinary researchers for the region; developing high value-added products to support economic developments of Hong Kong and the Pearl Delta Region.

The current major research areas are:

•    Prestressed engineering materials and devices

•    Advanced Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMGs) and Multicomponent Metallic Alloys

•    New Advanced Composites

•    Radiation Damage in Reactor Materials

•    Integration of advanced structural materials in product design

The new materials under development in the Prof. Jian Lu Centre for Advanced Structural Material, show high potential of application in the future electric and hybrid cars, that represent exactly the focus of the current business of D4S Motorsport The two organizations found a lot of complementarity points that will converge in the joint participations to both industrial and government high tech Asian and European projects, where the City University of Hong Kong will bring in the material technologies while D4S Motorsport will develop the manufacturing and extensive automotive testing of parts.

The modern architecture sport by the City University of Hong Kong, which is ranked one of the best universities Worldwide

Picture: Prof. Jian Lu, Executive Vice President of the Research & Technology at the City University of Hong Kong with Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante, Executive Vice President of the D4S Group. 
The Hong Kong University.

AMRC Main Board Meeting

AMRC Main Board Meeting

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AMRC Main Board Meeting
AMRC Main Board Meeting
AMRC Main Board Meeting
AMRC Main Board Meeting

AMRC Main Board Meeting

Friday, 13, November, 2015

Prof. Keith Ridgway strategic presentation

The brilliant presentation carried out by Keith focused on new strategic points.

First he stressed the importance of internal relationships and flux of technology expertise ofthe people in AMRC, the real human capital and precious real assets of the famous Research and Development Institution.

Moreover, with respect to the past, more group autonomy should be sustained, giving more freedom to the development of creative initiative. This, in conjunction with a clear focus on the finance control and the brand management will generate breakthrough innovations.

Following the same approach Keith Ridgway underlined that a better integration of the technical groups is fundamental to generate cross fertilization. 

Concerning the new AMRC structures it is notable that the new Casting Organization has been created and fully operative, through the brand new £15 millions 1000 kg furnace, that is attracting new partners and supporters (it is the biggest titanium casting facilities in the world).

To attract future customers, AMRC is also pushing hard for the quick development of the Light Weightening Centre and the Fast Make Centre, exploiting the latest innovations in the field of the Additive Manufacturing.

Prof. Keith Ridgway, Founder of AMRC with Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante in front of the biggest aerospace parts ever manufactured in Titanium by Additive Manufacturing 

New conferences facilities will be created and bought in the city center, in order to continue the series of investments for the development of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, that will transform and regenerate the city of Rotherham and Sheffield.

In fact, the ground occupied by the old airport will be completely renovated to build the futuristic technological park, following the new philosophy of Innovation Districts.

Talking about the AMRC international activities, Keith announced that the Korean AMRC is currently established to use the facilities of KCTech in Jeonju, and that its operability is already confirmed within the frame of the CCAM in Virginia.

The big question

Prof. Keith Ridgway concluded with a provocative question to the attendance. The proportion of GDP coming from manufacturing and services is respectively going down and stepping up in the last 40 years. So the big question is still open: today is it better to investing into the manufacturing sector or moving to the services?

Only in 10 years we will be able to verify the right answer.

Pictures: Prof. Keith Ridgway, Founder of AMRC with Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante in front of the biggest aerospace parts ever manufactured in Titanium by Additive Manufacturing; Prof. Keith Ridgway, during his presentation in front of the Executives and Engineers of the AMRC at the Annual Technical Fellow 2015 in Sheffield (UK); Prof. Keith Ridgway, during his presentation in front of the Executives and Engineers of the AMRC at the Annual Technical Fellow 2015 in Sheffield (UK); Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante at dinner with AMRC Board Member. In the photo Dr. Bart Moenster from BOEING, Dr. Bertrand Petot from Mesier Bugatti Dowty SAFRAN