The current state-of-the-art and the future in airframe manufacturing using superplastic forming technologies

Superplasticity and the evolution of the Superplastic Forming (SPF) manufacturing process is a classic aerospace development case study, having come from the materials test laboratories to the aircraft production lines in a relatively short period of time. The purpose of this paper is to take a quick look back at the history of the SPF process at Boeing, the current state-of-the-art in SPF design and a glimpse into the future direction that superplasticity is expected to take us in over the next five to ten years. Early testing of Superplastic materials was performed by the academic engineering scientists, since SPF was generally considered to be a laboratory oddity. Persistence within the commercial aerospace metal forming community, material science universities and the aerospace research & development groups around the world have now taken SPF to the forefront of sheet metal processing. SPF is now considered as a standard process for aerospace design and is emerging, with general uses now being found in rail, architecture, maritime and automotive designs. SPF parts are now used on virtually all of the commercial and military airframes made by Boeing. Many different superplastic alloys are commercially available, including aluminum, CRES, titanium and aluminum-lithium. The primary advantages of SPF over conventional design are: Freedom of design - the ability to produce complex shapes. The ability to build large assemblies with fewer pieces. The accompanying reduction in tool families, assembly jigs, welding, fastening, paperwork and schedule tracking. Inventory reduction, through-put improvements and cycle time reduction. Performance advantages with streamlined designs and fewer joints. Cost and weight savings. New innovations have been devised to build SPF parts faster-better-cheaper. These advances have been made possible by concurrent advances in many other enabling technologies. As we move further into the twenty-first century, the teaming and partnering of government institutions, industry and the universities is vital. To further the mission of working together, Boeing advocates the formation of a "U.S. Committee for the Advancement of Superplasticity".