Lightweighting Research Center Gets Giant Friction Welder
SOUTH BEND, IN—Manufacturing Technology Inc. (MTI) has shipped North America’s first linear friction welder capable of joining full-sized parts to the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) facility in Detroit, where it will contribute to cutting edge light-weighting research in the automotive and aerospace sectors.
Weighing 122,000 pounds—roughly the same weight as a Boeing 737—the LF35-75 has the largest tooling envelope of any linear friction welder in the world, allowing for the production of very large parts. It will apply the same technology used to create light-weight blisks for jet engines to applications in the automotive industry.