E-Archive

Articles

in Vol. 7 - January Issue - Year 2006
KSA and AeroSphere enter Strategic Cooperation on Automated Wing Skin Forming

KSA Kugelstrahlzentrum Aachen GmbH has announced the successful closing of a cooperation agreement with the Canadian company AeroSphere Inc. for the Automated Peen Forming (APF) of aircraft wing skins.
Over the years, KSA has developed a contract peen forming service for Ariane structures. It also delivers complete APF solutions for companies such as Airbus. AeroSphere has many years of experience in the use of peen forming for wing skin fabrication for numerous corporate jet and regional aircraft wing programmes.
The cooperating partners, AeroSphere’s president Guy Levasseur and KSA’s CEO Dr. Frank Wüstefeld, first met at MFN workshops; both belong to the MFN trainer team.
Both companies identified a great market need for more efficient, repeatable and less labour-intensive wing fabrication. They have now developed a detailed APF programme for wing skins based on AeroSphere’s wing forming expertise and KSA’s references for shot peening process control and automation.

Frank Wüstefeld comments: "Now we are in a position to transfer our standard-setting APF to wing skin forming. Both aircraft OEM’s and wing suppliers will profit from this situation."

Guy Levasseur: "Today’s manual peen forming process entails costly training and often results in serious health problems for the operators. It can, will and must be replaced. APF is the solution and an excellent value proposition to meet future aircraft design and fabrication standards."

Axel Friese, KSA’s CFO: "The ambitious APF of wing skins will become viable as a result of this cooperation with AeroSphere, and I’m confident that we will be able to start a first joint project within a short time."

KSA Kugelstrahlzentrum Aachen GmbH
Tel: +49.2407.51565, Fax: 2407.5188565
www.ksa.de.com

AeroSphere inc., Canada
Tel: +.1.514.655 4434, Fax:: 514.655 3423
www.aerosphere.ca