PMF Flow Forms APU for Military Helicopter

February 01, 2010

PMF is currently in the manufacturing phase for a new design of an auxiliary power unit (APU) for a military helicopter. The APU is a small turbine engine that provides the power necessary to start the aircraft's main engines. The APU consists of many sections that are manufactured at the PMF facility, including the combuster case, diffuser and fittings, and final internal brazing and machining to complete the assembly.

To manufacture the APU components, PMF uses a process known as flowforming. Flowforming is a cold metal forming process used to manufacture cylinders, cones, and hollow parts from a plate or forged bar of metal. Over the next eight years, PMF expects to manufacture approximately 500 of these specific APUs using its flowforming processes.

Flowforming provides several benefits over other manufacturing methods. Compared to traditional manufacturing methods, a flowformed part yields less waste and better product performance due to the grain flow of the material. Less waste inherently implies to both material and labor and therefore results in reduced manufacturing cost.

PMF leverages nearly 50 years of industry experience to help you remove preconceived design boundaries and create a project design that meets the form, fit, and function you intended.

View All

Related News

PMF Industries Implements 800 Ton Hydraulic Press

September 25, 2023

Williamsport, PA – PMF Industries, a leading provider of metal flowforming and custom manufacturing solutions, is proud to announce the implementation of a state-of-the-art 800-ton hydraulic press for deep drawing. This latest addition to their cutting-edge machinery further enhances PMF's ability to accommodate heavy thickness of materials and complements their existing 1200 mm flowforming machine. The new hydraulic press boasts automated features that improve repeatability, resulting in quicker throughput times than its predecessor.

Flowforming Specialist Offers Unique Combination of Metal Forming Processes

October 13, 2020

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.—Many aerospace engineers have been able to solve their critical metal-forming requirements with flowforming, a cold-extrusion process known for its design flexibility and economical method of producing high-precision, rotationally symmetrical, hollow parts. But engineers in aerospace and numerous other industries are finding that they can benefit even more by taking flowforming “to the next level,” a strategy advocated by PMF Industries.

PMF Launches New State-Certified Apprenticeship Program

November 05, 2019

There’s a crisis facing the manufacturing industry: the lack of skilled workers. To help combat this challenge locally, PMF Industries, a leading metal’s fabricator specializing in flowforming , combined with other manufacturing processes, based in Williamsport, has established a groundbreaking apprenticeship program.