Superplastic forming community to gather in Scotland for Euro SPF 2025

AFRC workshop man in space suit

Europe’s biggest meeting of superplastic forming expertise is heading to the UK this September, with the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), set to host the four-day event.

Euro SPF 2025 will be held from 15 to 18 September in Glasgow, with sessions taking place between NMIS’s flagship building in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland and the AFRC – a world-renowned centre of excellence in forming and forging R&D activity.

The conference was first established in 2001 and has since become a calendar highlight for bringing together researchers and industry professionals to share knowledge and collaborate on all aspects of superplastic forming. The complex manufacturing process, which is used across several high-value sectors including automotive and aerospace, is a highly specialised technique used for shaping thin-walled sheet metal alloys into near-net shape components with intricate geometries.

Organisers are accepting abstract submissions until 23 May and successful authors will be invited to present at the conference. Topics of interest include advancing forming technologies, understanding process-related phenomena and improving industrial applications. The conference agenda will also include extensive tours of the NMIS facilities, as well as a site visit to an industry partner and trips to the award-winning Riverside Museum and Clydeside Distillery.

The AFRC, which is one of the founding centres of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, is also home to the world’s most advanced hot forging research and innovation facility, FutureForge. The platform is designed to connect the global forging sector with an industry-scale testbed and centre’s expertise, no matter where they are based.

Alastair Conway, Head of Operations of the Advanced Forming Research Centre, said: “Collaboration and knowledge sharing is a fantastic way of making sure the manufacturing sector continues to evolve and apply the latest research to industry practice. Glasgow has a deep-rooted history of manufacturing which, combined with the AFRC’s capabilities in forming and forging and NMIS’s wider innovation expertise, makes the city a great place for hosting this kind of engineering conference.

“Euro SPF is always a well-attended event that brings together world-renowned experts under one roof, and we are looking forward to seeing what the speakers will bring to the stage. Superplastic forming is a fascinating and hugely valuable manufacturing process used all over the world, and there will be lots to learn over the course of the event.”

To find out more and book your place, visit: eurospf2025.org

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