The impact of new materials, technologies and changes in the supply chain will be centre stage when the global metalworking industry's premier aerospace conference, TRAM 2015, heads to the UK this autumn.

Advances in Additive Manufacturing (AM) and its potential for the future will be among the key topics, along with ways to radically increase productivity, the shape of tomorrow's factories and wider business innovation.

Dr Kevin T Slattery, Boeing Research and Technology's chief scientist for metals, ceramics, and mechanical parts, will deliver the keynote opening speech at the conference, which takes place at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in South Yorkshire on November 10 and 11.

Dr Slattery's responsibilities at Boeing include developing and launching major technology growth initiatives and shaping the aerospace giant's research and development portfolio strategy.

He will focus on the effect a combination of new materials, technologies and supply chain integration will have on the fabrication of metallic components for the next generation of aircraft.

Speakers focusing on AM will include Dr Gregory Hyatt, from machine tool manufacturer DMG MORI, Dr Timothy Armstrong, from leading speciality alloys and performance engineered products group Carpenter Technology Corporation and Professor Iain Todd, from the University of Sheffield's Centre for Advanced Additive Manufacturing (AdAM).

Dr Hyatt, senior vice president and chief technical officer for DMG MORI's Advanced Solutions Incorporated business, will look at recent changes in AM's capabilities which could lead to dramatic increases in productivity and extend the range of applications.

Dr Armstrong, Carpenter's vice president for research, quality and innovation, will explore the potential for AM as an emerging process, the scope for near net shape processes to displace subtractive ones, and titanium powder as an emerging product.

Meanwhile, Professor Todd will discuss whether additive manufacturing can be used to make larger, stronger, lighter aerospace components more rapidly.

Peter Hammond, technical director of Metrology Software Products, will outline ways to achieve a ten fold increase in the capacity of existing 5-axis machine tools, while reducing fixture costs by similar amounts and potentially removing most in-process metrology equipment, together with calibration and service costs.

Andy Schofield, head of manufacturing and materials engineering for BAE Systems' military air and information business, will focus on systems for tomorrow's factories, while Richard Ward, president of leading waterjet cutting systems developer WARDJet, will speak about business innovation.

Other speakers will include AMRC executive dean, Prof Keith Ridgway CBE, top executives and technologists from high-precision machine tool manufacturer Starrag and advanced cutting tool manufacturers Sandvik and OSG.

TRAM 2015 is presented by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Association for Manufacturing Technology, Gardner Business Media and the Royal Aeronautical Society

For more information and to register to attend, visit: www.tramconference.com.