AEROSPACE nozzle it’s melted by a 2kW CO2 laser and


builds up a structure freeform,’ explained Freeman. Using laser metal deposition, it took TWI


only 7.5 hours to build thin-walled nickel- alloy engine casings as part of an EU project aimed at reducing the environmental impact of aerospace manufacturing. Traditional techniques would require weeks. Another advantage of this method is the ability to add material to existing structures for repairs, which TWI demonstrated as part of an automotive project with Rolls Royce. Tey deposited nickel-based alloy seal structures in criss-cross patterns onto the turbine surface, in a procedure that is now public domain and available for aircraſt engines. Lasers have a small heat affected zone and


do not melt excess material, thus reducing waste. In general, powder bed fusion is used for metals: laser system fabrication of a component offers new levels of control and use of lightweight materials that cannot be traditionally machined. Additive manufacturing isn’t replacing


traditional manufacturing. Rather, it provides a new item in the manufacturing toolbox. Te actual cost of additive frequently exceeds that of conventional. But extra value through reduced weight, enhanced design, and quick production time, along with a relatively small volume of parts, makes it likely to be aerospace’s production mechanism of choice in the future.


A titanium bracket In September, Frank Herzog, founder of Concept Laser, along with Peter Sanders at Airbus and Professor Dr Claus Emmelmann of Laser Zentrum Nord, received a nomination for the German Future Prize 2015 for the project ‘3D printing in civil aircraſt


manufacturing – a production revolution is taking off’. Tis illustrates how important additive manufacturing is for the aerospace industry, with its potential to make individual parts and reduce the weight of the airplane. Te team used powder-bed technology to


make a titanium connector for the Airbus A350 XWB outer shell. ‘What’s important is that there are many


brackets in one plane – a high number of parts – and it needs to be lightweight; weight is money,’ explained Peter Appel, lead process development engineer at Concept Laser. Made conventionally, the bracket is milled out of an aluminium block. Laser additive manufacturing uses strong, lightweight, but difficult-to-mill titanium, and removes extra material while optimising topology. As an engineering student in


the 1990s, Herzog found that using metal powder in a laser sintering machine for polymers led to porous structures, because of the CO2


laser. He used a more


thermal gradient when melting from one side to the other across a large surface. But with Concept Laser’s stochastic melting, the whole surface is divided into small areas which are exposed in rapid succession, thus delocalising heat and reducing stresses within the component.


Polymers and metals At present, there are two main applications of laser additive manufacturing. Titanium is currently a popular metal because of its light weight and strength, with aluminium also under investigation. For plastics, small series and spare parts are being designed additively. Boeing started using additive


powerful solid-state laser (Nd:YAG), which made it possible to completely fuse and melt the metal powder. Tis was used in Concept Laser’s first machine. ‘Herzog realised that you could totally fuse


the metal and proceed with a stochastic, or randomly distributed, exposure strategy,’ explained Appel. In 2001, Concept Laser’s LaserCusing process was launched as an industrial additive laser system for metals. It has resolved technological issues in transitioning 3D printing from polymers to metals. When a metal melts, its viscosity is near


that of water. When it cools, thermal-induced stresses develop. Tis generates a problematic


metal deposition, it took TWI only 7.5 hours to build thin-walled nickel- alloy engine casings


Using laser


manufacturing more than a decade ago, sintering powdered nylon materials for environmental control system ducts and non-structural, unloaded applications on military and commercial aircraſt. ‘We’ve explored other materials that would fit our commercial grade machines. Tat’s transforming as we move to larger applications,’ said Mike Hayes, Boeing Research and Technology’s


technical lead engineer for additive polymers. Before laser sintering, there were rotomold


ducts and aluminium weldment tubes. ‘All companies are exploring ways of making materials and processing better and more consistently,’ he added. ‘We have suppliers for our polymer parts, but we start internally so that we can understand the process and what we can or can’t do.’ Powder bed manufacturing is used for


making small metal parts where extensive functionality is required in a tight space. ‘Powder bed systems can use electron beams or lasers. Laser systems tend to offer better surface finish, with finer features, while electron beam systems offer faster build time and less post processing. Lasers offer the advantage for most part candidates requiring complex features,’ said Dave Dietrich, Boeing Research and Technology’s technical lead engineer for additive metals, based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Now, Boeing has several hundred types of


Left: Airbus titanium brackets on build platform. The aerospace company was part of a project nominated for German Future Prize 2015. Right: Airbus bracket, made conventionally (top) and additively


www.lasersystemseurope.com | @lasersystemsmag


3D-printed parts flying on their products, and is sending an additively manufactured component into space aboard a 702MP satellite. Te Receive Antenna Deployment Actuator cage holds thermal blankets in place during deflector deployment. Manufactured


ISSUE 29 • WINTER 2015 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 19


Airbus Operations


Airbus Operations


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