Bending Limits, Soaring Together

The Davi and A&T Aerospace Collaboration

Story overview

As the A&T Group, we are a reliable partner in the fields of CNC-supported metal processing, intralogistics services, and the development of customized Industry 4.0 solutions. We offer our customers complete solutions: from material procurement and logistics to manufacturing and delivery.

Website

www.a-t-group.de/

Location

Germany

Industry

Aircraft & Helicopters

Related products

MAV , AIRCRAFT SOLUTION

The Challenge

A&T needed to fabricate critical Airbus A319 and A320 structural components, requiring extreme precision under demanding conditions:

The Slenderness Paradox: Rollers stretching 10 m (32.8 ft) in length with a ultra-slim diameter of just 100 mm (3.9 in)—a ratio highly prone to severe frame deflection.
Variable Thicknesses: Machined pockets created sudden thickness changes across single sheets, rendering standard rolling methods obsolete.

The Solution

Davi engineered a custom MAV 3-Roll Variable-Axis plate roll designed to conquer structural deflection and dynamic geometry:

Anti-Deflection Rigidity: Independent roll movement combined with advanced structural support ensured total stability across the entire 10 m span.
Smart Thickness Adaptation: High-precision control architecture seamlessly adjusted rolling parameters in real time, delivering flawless, uniform curves across complex milled profiles.

The Results

Handling Variable Thicknesses

The variable geometry of the MAV system allowed the rolls to seamlessly adapt to the uneven thickness profiles of sheets containing machined pockets. This guaranteed a highly uniform curve across the entire width of the part without manual shimming.

From Minutes to Seconds

Bending and re-rolling these specialized parts became a highly optimized, automated workflow. The transition from program selection to a finished component was reduced to a fraction of the original manufacturing time, with actual rolling taking only seconds per part.

Operator Autonomy

Because the variable-axis geometry can be adjusted to match complex shapes, A&T operators gained the flexibility to solve a wide variety of bending and re-rolling challenges on a single machine. The setup minimized reliance on highly specialized manual craftsmanship, standardizing the final output.

Aerospace manufacturing operates under some of the most unforgiving tolerances in modern engineering. When shaping structural elements for commercial aircraft, there is no margin for error. Every curve, every transition, and every dimension must meet microscopic standards of accuracy.

This was the exact landscape when Davi partnered with A&T, one of the most prominent suppliers in the German aeronautic sector. The challenge at hand was to develop a high-precision rolling process capable of fabricating critical structural parts for the commercial passenger flight market.

A Milestone in Aerospace Innovation
This project stands as a testament to Davi's co-engineering capabilities. Working alongside A&T’s aerospace specialists, Davi's Research and Development team designed, tested, and delivered a solution that pushed the physical boundaries of slenderness in metal forming. Today, this customized MAV system helps secure the structural foundations of Airbus aircraft flying worldwide, demonstrating that even the most extreme geometry can be controlled with the right engineering partnership.