ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING FOR AEROSPACE
Many complex parts are used in the engines and bodies of aircraft. Reducing overall operational costs is essential to be competitive in the aerospace industry.
We are AS9100 certified for the manufacture of aerospace parts and components, and are in a unique position to help provide solutions to engineering problems. Our Advanced Digital Manufacturing™ process starts with analyzing your requirements and functional specifications. Using Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) methods, we optimize and potentially reduce the weight of parts, while consolidating formerly complicated assemblies into fewer components.
This can reduce serial production costs through materials savings and simplified assembly, and ultimately brings cost savings from less fuel consumption. The resulting design can then be manufactured using our metal additive manufacturing (AM) / 3D printing DMLS technology and post-processed with our heat treating and CNC machining capabilities.
AM is now being explored for unlocking its potential benefits in the aerospace industry, from civil to defense and space systems manufacturing. Applications range from new production to maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO). In the space industry, weight savings resulting from additive manufacturing can reduce launch costs of payload such as satellites.
AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS
NON-STRUCTURAL/INTERIOR COMPONENTS
Non-structural aircraft components add significant weight to an aircraft. These may included overhead bin brackets, seat components, and food trolleys, lightweight, topology optimized components can reduce un-necessary weight. Additive manufacturing allow the designer to makes these parts reality.
TURBINE COMPONENTS
New generations of gas turbines are designed to run hotter, deliver more power, and be more efficient. Additive manufacturing enables the designer to create the complex internal cooling geometries needed to accomplish these goals. Opportunities also exist within older generation gas turbines to re-think their design, improve replacement part supply chains and reduce costs using additive manufacturing.
SATELLITE SYSTEMS
Launching satellites is expensive and every ounce of weight savings is worth thousands of dollars. By designing parts for minimal weight, while maintaining maximum strength, the resultant geometries can be complex. Additive manufacturing makes these parts manufacturable.
HEAT EXCHANGERS
Many aircraft systems rely on complex heat exchangers. Conventionally manufacturing these complex components is extremely expensive. Additive manufacturing improves heat transfer by increasing the surface area by using complex internal channels and lattice structures. Further, these complex, single piece designs result in weight reduction, elimination of braze/weld joints and reduction in manufacturing cost.
FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEMS
Proper fuel flow, atomization and mixing is critical in gas turbine engines. The end result is increased power, reduced fuel consumption and reduced green house gas emissions. Additive manufacturing takes advantage of the complex geometry required to realize improved fuel deliver designs.
HYDRAULICS
Aircraft hydraulic system components are typically machined from blocks of material or cast into basic geometries. Control valves, pumps, or cylinders can be designed to take advantage of the benefits of additive manufacturing. Multi-piece components can be consolidated into a single, more efficient design, and sub-assembly part counts can be reduced saving weight and cost.
NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
From the initial phase of a project, our engineering team can consult with you to help optimize your part or product to realize the full benefits of additive manufacturing. Whether your next step is 510k approval, or manufacturing planning for serial production, we have the experience you need to get to market laser fast.
We have invested in the listed software to allow us to consult on projects on a more advanced level. We have the simulation and optimization software needed to do research and development projects.
More importantly than investing in our technology, we have invested in the people who make our engineering consulting services come together. Our highly trained and experienced engineers are thought leaders in the additive manufacturing industry. From CAD modeling and engineering, all the way through manufacturing, get our engineering team working for you!
| Altair HyperWorks Desktop | solidThinking Inspire and Evolve | Materialise 3-maticSTL |
| Altair HyperWorks Solvers – Optistruct & RADIOSS | SolidWorks with Simulation Premium | Moldex3D |
| Altair SIMLAB | Siemens NX | AcuSolve CFD Solutions |
