Part Buyers Authority Issue #3

• The Stargate 3D printer from Relativity can AM print a rocket from raw material to flight in 60 days. • Titomic’s cold spray printer can make very large titanium parts for aerospace projects in a very short period of time. The combination of old technology and new AM printing methodology is proving to be a very powerful combination for the aerospace manufacturing sector. However, the biggest stumbling block to additive adoption in aerospace is part certification and more specifically material certification. Fortunately, these stumbling blocks are being dealt with as ASTM and SAE have released standards for additively manufactured parts for aerospace. The four SAE aerospace additive manufacturing technical standards are: • AMS7000: Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Produced Parts, Nickel Alloy, Corrosion & Heat-Resistant, 62Ni - 21.5Cr - 9.0Mo - 3.65Nb Stress Relieved, Hot Isostatic Pressed & Solution Annealed • AMS7001: Nickel Alloy, Corrosion & Heat-Resistant, Powder for Additive Manufacturing, 62Ni - 21.5Cr - 9.0Mo - 3.65Nb • AMS7002: Process Requirements for Production of Metal Powder Feedstock for Use in Additive Manufacturing of Aerospace Parts • AMS7003: Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process • These standards as well as new ERP software like Value Chain (valuechain.com) developed by Airbus, will drive further adoption of additive by aerospace. ABOUT CMTC CMTC is one of fifty-one Centers across the nation in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network which is part of the U.S. Government’s effort to develop and deploy technology, management and technical expertise for SMMs focused on improving their productivity and global competitiveness. As a non-profit organization, CMTC’s mission is to serve as a trusted advisor to manufacturers providing solutions which will grow both their businesses and the California economy. Since approximately 85% of all manufacturers in the United States employ less than 20 people it is vital that these small manufacturers have access to services related to innovation and growth, quality, marketing, exporting, cyber security and advanced manufacturing technologies (including additive manufacturing). In addition, CMTC collaborates with all the national labs and several Manufacturing USA institutes to promote technology transfer to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Contact: CHRIS WENTWORTH [email protected] 5 Visit partbuyersauthority.com t o SUBSCRIBE o r CONTRIBUTE as an author. In conclusion, it must be remembered that the power of Additive Manufacturing is not just the process, but starts with the design. Applying topology optimization and coalescing assemblies is where the real savings come into play. As an example, GE reduced a total of 855 parts in their new ATP engine through design optimization coupled with additive manufacturing for a new total of only about a dozen parts. This type of design optimization for additive is where the real savings and power of the technology come into play. Reducing the part count by removing uneeded nuts and bolts allows for better designs, not limited by manufacturability concerns and limitations.