News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, a space transportation company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, has released the latest update about its PGA liquid rocket engine. The engine, named after the billionaire business magnate and philanthropist, is being developed with the help of additive manufacturing and could offer an innovative solution for launching vehicles into space.
Safran Electrical & Power, a French company specializing in electrical systems for commercial and military aircraft, is the latest company to reap the benefits of additive manufacturing and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) in its design and production processes. The company was spurred to explore the benefits of 3D printing after a growing number of clients enquired about the technology for part production.
Airbus Helicopters has officially launched the production of latch shafts for the doors of A350 passenger aircraft using 3D manufacturing. The printed components are cheaper to produce and weigh less than their counterparts made using traditional means, thereby helping Airbus to offer ever more economical and environmentally friendly aircraft. Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth is manufacturing doors for all Airbus aircraft programmes as a supplier. The redesign of the latch shafts and the new production process have resulted in Airbus’s first large-scale production using metallic 3D printing.
GKN Aerospace is improving production times and removing design constraints for multiple tooling applications since integrating Stratasys additive manufacturing at its Filton manufacturing site in the UK.
Carpenter Technology Corporation‘s additive manufacturing (AM) production facility in Camarillo, CA (CalRAM LLC) has recently achieved AS9100 Rev D Certification for its Quality Management System. CalRAM is a leader in powder-bed fusion additive technologies used to manufacture parts for the aerospace, defense, power generation, and oil and gas industries.
Sciaky, a leading provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, achieved qualification with its industry-leading Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) process. This significant success in AM in space parts production is a direct result of the completion of qualification testing performed by Lockheed Martin Space on a multi-year development program, to create large size, high-pressure tanks, which carry fuel for satellites.
Researchers from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have developed a method for proving where 3D printed parts come from and ensuring their design integrity by embedding QR code clouds into the 3D model in a new and clever way. That is, rather than simply sticking a QR bar code onto the 3D model’s surface, the research team has devised a way to convert QR codes into subtle 3D features which can be integrated into a given part without affecting its properties and, crucially, without being noticeable to counterfeiters.
Ever the proponent for additive manufacturing technologies, NASA has awarded a $127,000 grant to Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies (PADT) and Arizona State University (ASU) to advance 3D printing research. The funding, a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I grant, will specifically go towards biomimicry research for 3D printing objects inspired by naturally strong and lightweight structures, such as honeycomb or bamboo.
NASA recently added a new 3D model to its database of space-themed 3D printable files. The latest addition is a miniature model of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, also known as SOFIA. The newly released model falls directly in line with our August Industry Focus on additive manufacturing and space exploration.
New Zealand-based titanium additive manufacturing company Zenith Tecnica has partnered with Air New Zealand to investigate the use of electron beam melting (EBM) for manufacturing aircraft parts and tools.