EADS broadens its technology licensing reach with new European, Indian agreements

Five agreements signed by EADS have extended the scope of the company’s technology licensing outreach with new industrial partners in India and Europe. These accords were inked during last month’s Paris Air Show and involve a contract with Germany’s Grenzebach Automation GmbH for metallic production technologies based on the friction stir welding solid-state joining process, along with four Letters of Intent (LoIs) with one German and three Indian companies for metallic and composite manufacturing processes.

The agreements were arranged by the EADS Technology Licensing initiative, which is managed by EADS’ Corporate Technology Office and has the company’s top management support in offering a full range of leading-edge technologies that are proven, mature and available today.

Several of the accords will benefit from engineering and application studies organised by the EADS Technology Licensing initiative, which provides assistance to industry partners in identifying business cases and tailoring a technology offer that is best adapted to customers’ specific needs. This supplemental engineering support is offered to facilitate a smooth transfer of the licensed technology into customers’ products and manufacturing processes.

“Our new agreements underscore EADS’ ability to provide highly valuable technologies in both metallic and composites production, which will be applied to the aerospace industry as well as other sectors such as automotive and industrial equipment,” said Wulf Hoeflich, who leads the EADS Technology Licensing initiative. The licensing contract provides Grenzebach Automation GmbH with access to EADS Innovation Works’ technologies for the friction stir welding solid-state joining process, including utilisation of EADS patented tools that provide a high-quality weld surface and eliminate the requirement for post-weld machining.

This agreement’s scope addresses the application of friction stir welding technologies in production of electronic products by Grenzebach Automation, which is part of the Grenzebach group of companies with production facilities worldwide.

The Letters of Intent with India underscore the country’s ambition to evolve as a strong aerospace player, which has become a priority after the Indian government’s step to privatize the aerospace sector. “We now see a build-up in the Indian supply chain, which wants to become more capable and innovative – not only in supporting Indian aircraft programmes, but in the export market as well,” Hoeflich added. The Letters of Intent signed at the Paris Air Show were with:

• India’s Dynamatic Technologies Limited, for metallic manufacturing processes such as friction stir welding, as well as EADS patented composites production technologies. This will be supported by an EADS engineering services package.
• Maini Precision Products Pvt. Ltd of India for metallic and composites technologies, backed by an EADS engineering services package.
• Tata Advanced Materials Limited, covering a broad range of composites and related manufacturing processes, including the EADS-developed and patented Vacuum Assisted Process (VAP) and protective coatings for composite tools. An engineering services package is included in the scope of this Letter of Intent.
• Brötje Automation GmbH of Germany, for light metal alloys, friction stir welding and automation in composites manufacturing.

PR