PMF Flow Forms APU for Military Helicopter

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.