Additive manufacturing (AF) is the manufacturing method that has made it possible, more than any other method, to create products of high functional efficiency and great lightness, both essential aspects for the aerospace sector. In addition, the aerospace industry is focused on the low volume production of systems with complex mechanical and electronic components, and additive manufacturing responds very well to these demands.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Kexin.
The aerospace industry directs much of its efforts to developing products that are subjected to extremely high demands. In other words, it needs to develop more efficient products with minimised weight and high structural and functional demands. These are the aspects on which FA is based to provide competitive advantages over other conventional methods.
Indeed the Spanish Aerospace Platform has identified this technology as one of the priorities to be developed within the Spanish R&D&I strategy for the sector. Additive manufacturing thus has great potential to become an established manufacturing process in the industry. Additive manufacturing thus has great potential to become an established manufacturing process in the industry.
For the moment, the effort has been focused on the development of secondary structural elements by PBF (Powder Bed Fusion) technology, as well as the fabrication of support structures and tooling with polymeric materials by FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) technology.
Drilling template for STELIA
The following differentiators of additive manufacturing are being instrumental in its full development in the space sector:
When conceiving a product, the limitations of mass production processes are a determining factor for designers. There are designs that involve complex topologies and therefore their manufacture requires the creation of several smaller parts as a preliminary step. Herein lies one of the great and important advantages of additive manufacturing over subtractive manufacturing: the geometry of the parts is not limiting however complex it may be. Therefore, additive manufacturing reduces the number of parts required and allows optimized designs. Therefore, additive manufacturing reduces the number of parts required and allows optimized designs.
What are the implications for the aerospace industry? The additive manufacturing of mechanical components with complex geometries has meant manufacturing fewer parts and therefore a reduction in the total weight of these parts. The direct consequence of this would be to reduce the weight of the aircraft, which reduces fuel consumption.
Electronic components that can be manufactured using AF include sensor arrays, antennas and RF amplifiers or multilayer cable assemblies. In short, pieces have unique functionality and shape.
Many aerospace applications require the use of exotic metals that are difficult to work and machine through traditional processes. The fact that these materials are beginning to be incorporated into additive manufacturing systems substantially expands the area of influence of additive manufacturing in aerospace.
Another fundamentally differentiating aspect of additive manufacturing lies in the reduction of waste due to its additive nature. This means that only the required material is used in the production process, whereas subtractive manufacturing removes (subtracts) the excess material to obtain the product.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Aerospace Gear Components. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Aircraft maintenance (including replacement of mechanical and electronic components) is an area where additive manufacturing has a lot to say. What happens with some electronic and mechanical components (the more complex ones) is that they are not always in inventory and must be replaced periodically. The lead times of a traditional manufacturer for this type of part can be weeks or months.
Additive manufacturing allows mechanical or electronic parts to be produced on-demand, eliminating the need to keep certain types of parts in inventory. AM allows individual spare parts to be manufactured and shipped to the customer immediately, thus reducing delivery times.
This characteristic makes us think of a future in which the AM of electronic components will be used for lean manufacturing.
As we have seen, additive manufacturing systems require fewer parts, fewer fixtures, and fewer assembly steps, so they can be produced faster and at a lower cost.
There are two main factors that will drive down the cost of developing and manufacturing electronics for aerospace systems: the reduced level of manufacturing complexity and the accelerated prototyping process.
The aerospace industry has employed additive manufacturing (AM) for a wide range of products such as parts for airplanes and helicopters, or engines and turbines. Because the truth is that AM has improved the performance of the parts, reduced their weight, and helped eliminate design and production constraints.
Until recently, additive manufacturing has been limited mainly to non-critical parts, such as ductwork or interior components. However, it is beginning to play a more significant role in the production of aircraft for first-class manufacturers. However, it is beginning to play a more significant role in the production of aircraft for first-class manufacturers.
At Mizar, we are committed to continuing innovating for the aerospace sector and we are at our customers&#; disposal for any type of consultation.
In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) has been in development in almost every major aerospace company, from Boeing to SpaceX. Components manufactured have been used in production and have proven themselves as a viable replacement to traditionally manufactured parts. Some of the key benefits of AM technology in the aerospace industry have been reduced part counts, reduced mass, and increased design flexibility. Some industry experts are even projecting a 20% growth rate of AM in the aerospace industry over the next 5 years. This growth rate will position AM as a standard technology in the aerospace industry.
There are thousands of components currently being developed and manufactured in the aerospace industry. Many of which are only for test and development, while others are production line parts. The list below highlights some of the major players using 3D parts for aerospace:
Nasa&#;s Orion spacecraft is a human rated spacecraft that aims to remove American dependence on the Soyuz Launch System. It forms part of the Space Launch System (SLS) architecture currently under development by various aerospace giants including Lockheed martin. Arconic manufactured the vent housings on this spacecraft out of an advanced nickel super alloy. These components are critical, as they maintain the pressure between the inner and outer hull of the spacecraft. These parts first flew in the maiden flight of the Orion module and were found to be in good condition after the craft was recovered.
Safran helicopters develop and manufacture helicopter engines such as the Anteo-1K which has numerous AM components including those within the engine&#;s combustion chamber, creating an engine that is 30% more powerful than its traditionally manufactured engine.
SpaceX uses AM technology to manufacture the SuperDraco engine chamber. These rocket engines are used for the Dragon 2 launch escape system. The Dragon 2 is SpaceX&#;s crew launch vehicle that is set to transport astronauts to the international space station in the next few years. A recent catastrophic failure of the Dragon 2 has pushed this timeline back, however, the failure was not attributed to the AM engine chambers.
BAE Systems in collaboration with the University of Manchester recently developed a UAV that does not use any flaps to manoeuvre, but instead uses supersonically blown air to improve handling at low speeds. This is achieved with an advanced nozzle called a fluidic thrust vectoring nozzle and is printed out of titanium.
Relativity Space is aiming to make their rockets entirely from AM techniques. This is to allow for faster manufacturing time and more design flexibility. Their Aeon engine and Terran 1 launch vehicle rely heavily on AM, with the Terran 1 being made entirely using AM technology.
Rolls Royce is using AM to develop advanced components such as a front bearing housing for their Trent XWB-97 engine. The component is 1.5m in diameter and has 48 aerofoil shaped vane components. This is one of the largest civilian components that has been manufactured using additive techniques. The use of AM allowed design engineers the flexibility of optimising the component without the pressures of finalising the design early on to allow for long lead tooling.
Liebherr Aerospace has developed a nose landing gear bracket for the Airbus A350 XWB. These parts are manufactured from titanium. Liebherr has also developed a 3D printed primary flight control hydraulic component. This component is a high-pressure hydraulic valve block. This new 3D printed version is 35% lighter than the traditional manufactured component but offers the same performance.
WAAM3D is a company that is a commercial spinout from Cranfield University and is developing a rear frame for the Eurofighter Typhoon in conjunction with BAE systems using AM. This frame is made from Ti-6Al-4V, a titanium, aluminium and vanadium alloy. The frame is designed to support the EJ200 engines and WAAM3D claims that the fatigue properties of the part are similar or equal to the existing forgings.
The aerospace industry is uniquely positioned to benefit from 3D parts for aerospace, as the production volumes are relatively small when compared to other industries. Furthermore, aerospace components can benefit greatly from optimisation techniques like generative design and shape optimisation which fit in well with additive technology. AM is quickly becoming a standard manufacturing technique in the industry with most major aerospace companies employing the technology in one way or another. The improvements in efficiency, strength and weight when using AM means that companies who do not embrace this technology will soon find themselves falling behind the curve.
Find out more about Additive in Aerospace by reading our guide or downloading the whitepaper.
For more Gears for Petroleum Drilling Machineryinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.