Fives
SOFIA Fives Michelin research programme
The industry players who contributed to the Fives Michelin-driven SOFIA research programme
The Fives Michelin Additive Solutions joint venture has launched SOFIA, an applied research programme for metal AM.
SOFIA, which, translated from French, stands for Solutions for Industrial Metal Additive Manufacturing, aims to contribute to the development of this technology by working on the entire metal additive manufacturing value chain which comprises of powders, machines and processes.
Fives and Michelin’s collaboration has also heeded the input of a number of high-end industrial players. Aubert & Duval, ESI Group, FusiA, Safran, VOLUM-e and Zodiac Aerospace, as well as CNRS and a host of research universities, were all involved in the delivering of the new software.
A six-year applied research programme, SOFIA covers the entire metal additive manufacturing value chain, from powder to the end user, with a focus on material-energy interactions. The ambition is for the software to develop technological bricks which can be used to manufacture robust parts at competitive prices. In particular, the aim is for it to meet the requirements of the aviation industry.
The work will focus on four key areas. The first of these areas is to perfect metal powder ranges. Improving the productivity of additive manufacturing machines by optimising the material/ process pairs and developing new energy sources is another area where work is required. The research programme will also look to design new ranges for parts with optimised technical and economic characteristics, with a view towards digital continuity. Finally, and more broadly, increasing the knowledge of the HSE risks linked to metal additive manufacturing in order to create a repository is another focus.
It is thought this technology could be integrated into machines sold from as early as 2018.
SOFIA has fostered the expertise and experience of a range of high-level players in the additive manufacturing field. Together, they cover the entire value chain from powders to finished parts. The programme, imitated by Fives Michelin Additive Solutions join venture, combines a detailed understanding of the materials and processes involved with end users’ needs for the parts made with this technology.
