Page 22 - 3D Metal Printing Spring 2016

Along with medical, the aerospace for previous powdered-metal applications, employers of the technology. Discussion
meaning that these must be verified as suf- ficient for 3D printing of aerospace parts.
• New materials must be developed.
• With so many proprietary systems and materials on the market, flexibility to produce across various platforms to ensure part quality and repeatability can be expensive and time-consuming.
• No common quality standards, or methods to verify quality, exist.
• Engineers are still learning how to design for 3D printing.
The pros and cons of 3D printing, along with examples of the technology in action, permeated the conference room at The Double Tree by Hilton in Los Angeles this past October, as aerospace-industry pro- fessionals and researchers gathered for the 3rd Additive/Aerospace Summit. Pre- sented by Infocast, the summit featured speakers from federal agencies, colleges and research labs, and from commercial
industry has been the most enthu-
siastic early adopter of 3D-printing technology. The reasons are many:
• The ability to quickly construct pro- totypes and limited-run parts for proof of concept, testing and refining;
• Freedom of design, allowing for parts not constrained by traditional manufac- turing methods, which also enables pro- duction of lighter-weight parts, a must in aerospace;
• Smaller production runs inherent in aerospace that negate the need for costly tooling;
• Evolving 3D-printing technology that can accept various work materials, includ- ing aerospace-intensive alloys and metals such as titanium; and
• Advancements in technology that allow creation of larger parts.
At the same time, challenges abound: • Many metallic materials were developed
of metal 3D printing comprised a signifi- cant portion of event presentations, with speakers representing aerospace heavy- weights such as NASA, Airbus, Deep Space Industries, Raytheon, United Launch Alliance, CalRam and others.
Missile Mission Accomplished with 3D Printing
Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems offered its take on additive manufacturing, with Kelly Dodds, its technical area direc- tor of mechanical, materials, structures and manufacturing, pointing out that the company is betting big on the technology. And that bet is paying off.
Raytheon researchers already have cre- ated nearly every component of a guided weapon using 3D printing, including work- ing rocket engines, fins, guidance- and con- trol-systems parts, and more. It’s all part of a push by the company into additive
20 | 3D METAL PRINTING • SPRING 2016
3DMPmag.com
3D FEATURE
Future is Sky High for
Future is Sky High for
AM in Aerospace
AM in Aerospace
That’s the message 3D Metal Printing heard at the 3rd Additive/Aerospace Summit. Institutional and commercial buy-in has propelled additive manufacturing in the aerospace sector, but more work, such as the need for standardization and proper quality testing, is needed.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SR. EDITOR