Aequs and Magellan Aerospace Partner to Establish Aerospace Sand Casting Facility in India!

Aequs Private Limited and Magellan Aerospace Corporation have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of a jointly owned aerospace sand casting facility in Karnataka’s Belagavi Aerospace Cluster (BAC). This collaboration aims to enhance India’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities by setting up a 50/50 joint venture focused on sand casting for the aerospace sector.

The new facility is set to improve India’s sand casting capabilities, which are currently limited in terms of aerospace-specific NADCAP-qualified plants. With the capacity to use the chemically bonded sand method to cast complex geometries, Magellan Aerospace brings its expertise as a North American center of excellence in sand casting. Their existing North American facilities utilize advanced technologies such as automated differential pressure bottom pouring, digital radiography, robotics, and 3D sand printing.

The partnership comes at a time when India’s aerospace industry has experienced rapid growth, fueled by initiatives like the Make in India and UDAN schemes, as well as private sector investments and increasing air travel demand. India has now become one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally.

Aravind Melligeri, Chairman and CEO of Aequs, highlighted that advancements in sand casting technology have enabled the creation of lightweight yet robust aerospace components that meet the sector’s stringent standards.

Phillip Underwood, President and CEO of Magellan Aerospace, emphasized the strategic benefits of this initiative, noting that the sand casting venture in India would focus on infrastructure development, cost advantages, capacity increases, and key strategic initiatives to help meet the global potential of the aerospace and aviation industries.