Fives designs and supplies metal cutting and machining solutions for large complex part, and composite processing machine-tools for the aerospace and heavy manufacturing markets. The Group also provides corrective, preventive and upgrade maintenance solutions for production means.
Fives has acquired the Konecranes Machine Tool Service division, one of the USA’s leading providers of machine tool services for nearly 40 years.
From preventive maintenance to rebuild, remanufacture, retrofit, repairs services, as well as on-site support for all types and all brands of machine tools, the Konecranes MTS range of solutions rounds out the service offer which the Group offers to its clients to improve their productivity. Fives now has over 20 service centers dedicated to machine tools in the aerospace and industry sectors, including seven in North America.
Following the delivery of two Forest-Liné Aerostar horizontal spindle aluminum machining centers to Harbin Aircraft, Fives has won a new order from Chengdu Aircraft to supply four Forest-Liné Aerostar five-axis horizontal machining centers.
These machines will be arranged in Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) and installed at the brand-new Chengdu Aircraft workshop, which contains highly-automated production cells and is intended to be the showcase of modern aircraft manufacturing in China.
Spirit Aerosystems Inc. - one of the largest first-tier aero-structures manufacturers in the world - has placed an order with Fives to supply two Liné-Machines Macbormill machines.
Used for machining aluminum, graphite/epoxy composite, impregnated Kevlar and honeycomb parts, these five gantry-type 5-axis machines will be installed at the Spirit Aerosystems plant in Wichita, Kansas, replacing the Henri Liné Promill machining centers which were manufactued in the 90s.
Fives has delivered four 5-spindle x 5-axis Cincinnati XT Profiler machines to Ural Boeing Manufacturing, dedicated to titanium machining, at its highly automated 20,000 sqm plant in the Sverdlovsk region in the Urals.
Already a Cincinnati and Giddings&Lewis technologies client for ten years, UBM had praised Cincinnati XT Profiler machines for their production performance and operating costs. One of these four machines has already beaten the world record for swarf removal at over 200 cubic IPM (3.2 liters per minute).
For Safran Aircraft Engines, Fives has combined its expertise in both industrial maintenance and data processing to implement an artificial intelligence-based predictive maintenance solution for 12 machine tools.
It aims to optimize the detection of fault warnings, accurately classify them and anticipate corrective equipment maintenance. The objective is to improve the productivity of a so-called “bottleneck” group of machines, reducing the number of scrapped parts, improving availability and controlling the consumption of spare parts.
The Liné Machines Gicamill machines developed by Fives adapted to machining rails and turnouts have been chosen by SNCF and RATP in France, VAE in Romania and Austria, and by Murom Switch Works JSC, which will use it to build the new high-speed railway line connecting Moscow and Kazan (Russia).
Fives will install a Forest-Liné Modumill machine dedicated to rubber-tired metro frame and roof production for Alstom in Valenciennes (France).
In the United States, Atlantic Track & Turnouts chose Fives to improve productivity and optimize the use and lifespan of cutting tools on their machine
A new composite part inspection technology developed in exclusive partnership with the NRC
Manufacturers in the aerospace sector are looking for solutions to manufacture reliable, safe and cost-effective composite structures. With this in mind, Fives joined forces with the National Research Council of Canada to develop an advanced profilometer which can inspect composite aircraft components during production.
Inspired by an innovative optical technology, this system is used when composites
are being put in place and provides superior measuring information to existing laser triangulation technologies, whilst limiting production downtime. These faster, better measurements reduce the risk of errors and help manufacturers to meet the strictest standards whilst improving their productivity, with gains reaching 30%.
By helping to improve and launch this new technology, Fives is helping to push cutting-edge technologies forward in terms of composite applications in the aerospace sector.
