Daher cuts costs with high-pressure parts forming

Daher-Socata is a manufacturer of aircraft and Tier 1 equipment and components serving commercial and military aviation customers around the world. Its sheet metal parts unit in Tarbes, France, produces 1.2 million parts annually, 98 percent of which are aluminum alloys. Several processes are employed, including forming by a rubber pad press that has been in service since 1965. As industry demand increased, along with global competition, Daher-Socata recognized the need to improve productivity and product quality in its forming operations.