News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
With day two of the Paris Air Show underway, it is becoming clear that there is a significant emphasis on additive manufacturing at the event, with aerospace companies further investing in 3D printing or partnering with AM leaders. Today, France-based aerospace and defense company Safran has unveiled the Add+ engine technological demonstrator, which is made up of 30% 3D printed components.
VINCI Construction, a France-based construction leader, is launching a new company focused on 3D printing high-performance concrete materials through its subsidiary Freyssinet. The company, called Concreative, offers a fully integrated service, providing support from early design stages to on-site installation.
GKN Aerospace has announced the commissioning of a second additive manufacturing cell at the U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The cell (Cell 2) is expected to be the world’s largest pilot production cell utilizing laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) processes. The announcement, made at the Paris Air Show, will enable GKN Aerospace to further its additive manufacturing research and development for large-scale structural aircraft components.
Though technology is often thought of in contrast to the natural world, certain innovations—such as generative design and 3D printing—are helping to connect us to nature in new and exciting ways. Large-format 3D printing company BigRep, for instance, recently unveiled a project called BANYAN ECO WALL, the world’s first fully 3D printed green wall.
Norsk Titanium, a supplier of 3D printed structural titanium components for the aerospace industry, has announced two significant milestones at the Paris Air Show this week. First, the company has successfully completed the latest phase of Boeing’s Material Allowables Program, which consists of characterizing the company’s Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) process. Second, the company is preparing to enter into the second testing phase for a 3D printed integrally bladed rotor (IBR).
GKN Aerospace is to lead two ground-breaking collaborative additive manufacturing research programs, AIRLIFT and DAM and will inject its unique Laser Metal Deposition by wire (LMD-w) AM technology in the programs. AIRLIFT and DAM are focused on making AM serial production ready at high rates and exploring how AM can revolutionize product design for high value, high complexity product manufacture. The aim is to accelerate industrialization and increase GKN Aerospace’s market share in the growing global AM market.
3D printing solutions company Hawk Ridge Systems has announced the opening of a new additive manufacturing facility in Ohio. The digital manufacturing lab marks the Silicon Valley-based company’s continued intention to expand in the midwest region and broaden the geographic scope of its AM solutions.
![SPEE3D shows of new, larger WarpSPEE3D cold spray AM system [video] 3D Printing Processes](https://facfox.com/wp-content/uploads/orderfile/image/2020/11/yYvuea.jpg "SPEE3D shows of new, larger WarpSPEE3D cold spray AM system [video] 3D Printing Processes")
SPEE3D’s innovative LightSPEE3D machine proved that 3D metal printing could be fast and cheap. The development of the large format WarpSPEE3D printer proves that it can also be extra large. Targeted towards production, WarpSPEE3D performs a different role to the smaller LightSPEE3D model. While lightSPEE3D is ideal for materials experimentation, process development and printing small parts, WarpSPEE3D is able to produce industrial components in a matter of hours that could take 6-12 months using traditional casting methods.
At the Paris Air Show International Aerospace Exhibition, TRUMPF aerospace applications are focusing on how its additive manufacturing technologies can improve satellites and aircraft. As demands on satellites parts and performances increase, every kilogram that a rocket carries into space can cost several hundred thousand euros. At the same time, the rocket vehicles must be extremely stable in order to withstand the high forces needed at take-off.
CyBe Construction, a Dutch specialist in concrete 3D printing, has been selected as the technology provider for a 3D printed house project in the UAE. The house will be built as part of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) initiative which aims to 3D print a series of buildings in the area with the goal of transforming the city of Sharjah into an architectural hub.