US-based automobile manufacturer Ford Motor is introducing a new manufacturing technology that is claimed to decrease costs and delivery time for sheet metal parts.
The technology is said to be based on the Ford Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T), manufacturing process that was developed at the manufacturer's Research and Innovation Center.
Under the process, a piece of sheet metal is clamped around its edges and formed into a 3D shape by two stylus-type tools working together on opposite sides of the sheet metal blank.
After the CAD data of the part is received, the computer-generated tool paths control the F3T machine to change the sheet metal part into its final shape according to the dimensional tolerances and surface finish.
The development of the technology is part of a three-year project of worth $7.04m from the US Department of Energy (DOE) grant to develop advance next-generation, energy-efficient manufacturing processes.
Ford Research and Innovation director Randy Visintainer said the F3T sheet metal forming process is one of many advanced manufacturing technologies under development at the company.
"We developed this process during the past four years for small-scale applications in a laboratory setting, and the DOE award enables us to scale the process for larger applications and a full prove-out for manufacturing feasibility," Visintainer added.
According to the company, F3T is also expected to have many applications apart from the automotive industry, including use in the aerospace, defense, transportation and appliance industries.
