The Brazilian Friction Processing Research Consortium (C2PA in its Portuguese acronym), is focused on how to use those technologies in new applications for the industry. Its members are two companies – Embraer, and Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio (CBA); two research institutes – Lightweight Structures Laboratory from IPT and Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory from CNPEM (LNNano); and two universities – Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas from Unicamp (FCA), and Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa (UEPG).
Its first public event, the C2PA Open Day, happened on May 22nd. It included presentations on the research being pursued using aluminum alloys.
A group of Brazilian research institutions, which includes Embraer, CBA and IPT, has created a research consortium to study new methods of processing by friction and also ways of applying techniques in industry
One of the projects deals with friction surfacing, being developed by UEPG and LNNano; a second project is related to friction stir welding on thin panels, executed by FCA and IPT.
The event was hosted by CNPEM, in the city of Campinas, São Paulo, and was attended by people from universities, research institutes and companies. The Lightweight Structures Laboratory was represented by his director, Hugo Borellli Resende, and two researchers, André Ferrara Carunchio and Mario Henrique Fernandes Batalha. “This was an excellent opportunity to show some of the researches being done to develop new applications for friction processing. Friction stir welding, for example, allows to join materials considered hard to be welded, or even unfeasible from a practical point of view. It is also a more sustainable manufacturing process, and has several technical advantages regarding conventional welding methods,” says Carunchio.
On the other hand, the business model adopted by the consortium is very efficient according to Resende: “Results are openly shared with the consortium members, such that the companies’ investments are multiplied in relation to what they would get if they were doing the research by themselves.”
