Generic Ceramic Tooling (GenCerT) for the SPF/DB Process

A comparative study assessing the wear behaviour of different ceramic die materials during superplastic forming

“…Due to the high temperatures involved (between 500 8C and 900 8C for aluminium and titanium alloys respectively), the materials for the superplastic forming tools are limited to those resistant to high temperature creep and thermo-mechanical fatigue. Additionally, these materials should be non-reactive, or should be able to be prevented from reacting [3,4].…”

“…The ceramic material employed was from the group including Pyromedia HS2, Thermosil 120, and Thermosil 220. In 2001, low cost, disposable ceramic liners for fabricating superplastic forming and diffusion bonding tooling were developed [4]. The ceramic used in this work was an alumina based feedstock (CT9), with a binder and a bonding agent (Secar 71 and PVA respectively).…”

A Production System Using Ceramic Die Technology for Superplastic Forming

“…Figure 1 Forming chamber shown with a ceramic Figure 2 Ceramic die insert set into a CRES die insert set inside of it for SPF forming.forming chamber (courtesy of Goodrich). Another method of SPF forming using a ceramic molding cavity set into a stronger cylindrical CRES pressure vessel was developed by Richard Curtis[3] for manufacturing titanium 6Al-4V dental implants and for SPF/DB forming of aerospace hardware by Alan Jocelyn[4] and by Brian Ginty[5]. In each of these cases, the ceramic die is used as the pattern for shaping the part and the CRES backing material carries the bulk of the forming stresses.…”