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GER / CN - Tital to partner with COMAC

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Aluminium and titanium investment casting specialist, Tital has announced it will be working with Chinese aircraft manufacturer, COMAC.

Tital has secured firm orders to supply 80 different parts made from aluminium and titanium investment casting. These orders also cover the so-called Hinge Arm, the connecting element or hinge between the fuselage and the passenger door.

COMAC’s designers first thought of a milled part as the solution for this Hinge Arm. But following extensive consulting and advice through Tital’s investment casting specialists, COMAC opted for an aluminium investment cast hinge arm. This was the only way to reach the ambitious weight targets.

“Within the technical requirements provided by COMAC, the Tital engineers optimised the Hinge Arm in terms of topology and then fully used the design flexibility and creative leeway that investment casting offers,” stated Rainer Sabisch, the engineering manager responsible for COMAC.

Tital obtained considerable savings in terms of weight by adapting the design. The casting now weighs 30% less than the initial version machined from a block. The Hinge Arm optimised by Tital now has a weight of just 8kg.

Moreover, it was possible to significantly reduce the material and energy consumption for both manufacturing and machining. The C919 is the first aircraft with a hinge arm being an aluminium investment casting and which has also been topologically optimised.

The total purchase order from COMAC, including the Hinge Arm will be developed and produced at Tital’s headquarters in Bestwig.

Source: aero-mag.com

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