Russia's United Aircraft purchases MAG composites equipment

The contract for a MAG VIPER® Fiber Placement System and two HyperMach Vertical profilers is valued at more than US$9 million. The machines will be delivered in the first quarter of 2011.

The sale broadens MAG's footprint in Russia, which was established with recent sales of 26 large machine tools to Ural Boeing Manufacturing and VSMPO-Avisma. Both companies produce titanium components in Russia for Boeing and Airbus commercial planes.

"Our newly created Aerospace Industry Team was a key enabler for us in this sale," says Chip Storie, MAG Executive Vice President, Aerospace. "It brings into focus our strength as the only globally capable company integrating core aerospace manufacturing technologies – metalworking and automated composites processing – engineered, built and backed by a single source with local sales and service in Russia. The team consulted in depth with UAC, even hosting three aerospace manufacturing workshops in Russia that included a design and review of an entire wing factory."

The two HyperMach profilers acquired by UAC are single-spindle, 5-axis designs with 85 kW (113 hp), 20,000 rpm spindles and X-axis travels of 12.6 m and 18.2 m (496 in and 716 in) respectively. The HyperMach family includes both vertical and horizontal platforms with capabilities for optimised processing for aluminium or titanium.

The VIPER 1200 Fiber Placement System precisely lays 12 tows of 6.35 mm (0.25 in) composite prepreg tape, and has 9 m (354 in) carriage travel and 3 m (118 in) diameter mandrel station.