LIFT Forging Project Recognized As TechConnect Defense Innovation Awardee

DETROIT – Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), a Manufacturing USA institute, has been recognized by TechConnect Defense with a 2018 Innovation Award for an ongoing project to increase engine efficiency and airplane performance.

The “Forging and Processing of Al-Li for Improved Performance and Structural Life” project creates a tool that allows engineers to model and predict mechanical responses, which will enable a significant increase of engine efficiency and payloads, as well as significant reduction in cost and emissions.

Due to its efficacy, the model will be incorporated into the Engineering Standard Work for industrial partner business units to not only improve future forgings and designs, but also allow for routine optimization to improve performance and reduce the weight of overly-conservative designs.

“Lightweighting goes beyond just materials, it goes all the way back to the design,” said Alan Taub, chief technology officer, LIFT. “If we can accurately predict how materials will react in different situations, we are better able to remove mass, saving both energy and costs”

The LIFT project team includes: United Technologies Research Center, Lockheed Martin, the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University and Southwest Research Institute.

“We began working with LIFT because of its potential for developing technologies that will improve engine efficiency and performance,” said Bill Tredway, advanced manufacturing technology leader, UTRC, and LIFT Executive Advisory Committee chair. “We are honored to be a part of such a capable and dynamic team and are thrilled with the impact our work will have on the greater engineering community.”

More information on the awards can be found here.

This forging project placed in the top 15 percent of all submitted challenge technologies. Both the project and the award will be presented at the upcoming Defense Tech Connect Conference taking place October 23-25, 2018 in Tampa, Florida.