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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING/3D PRINTING HINK PART DESIGN


“The system became cash flow positive from month one, which equates to a return on investment in the first year. This is virtually unheard of when investing in new production technology! It’s easily one of the best investments that HPL has ever made.”


AEROSPACE INDUSTRY As more airlines look to update their interiors, additive manufacturing is proving to be the answer. 3D printing’s most prominent advantage for aircraft interiors is the ability to quickly customise parts to be lightweight. Parts can be designed with complex geometries, thinner walls than their injection moulded counterparts, or consolidated into components that reduce material use and weight. They can also be designed to include fittings or movable features to enable more straightforward assembly. The ability to rapidly produce custom parts


directly from a digital file on demand can remove the need for hefty inventory, remove concerns about obsolete components and avoid supply chain delays. Manufacturers can also quickly replace damaged interior parts, without the need to stockpile spares. In fact the ability to produce repeatable,


accurate, 3D printed end-use parts using aerospace-approved materials is benefitting many


aircraft manufacturers and operators. Stratasys, aircraft MRO company SIA Engineering Company, and 3D printing bureau Additive Flight Solutions, have produced more than 5,000 parts certified for aircraft cabins. In the functional interior of an aircraft, 3D printing is being explored for the production of ducting, vents, plenums, baffles, cable management, electrical housings and more. AM is also being applied for the production of aesthetic parts, such as light covers, bezels, trim, signs, door latch components, seat end and arm rest caps. As an example, China Eastern prints custom support devices for Electronics Flight Bags for use across its A330, A320 and B737 fleets – saving 72% on cost. It also prints replacement business class newspaper holders, saving 48% of costs and reducing lead time to three days. Interest is also growing to product flight-critical parts. In fact Etihad is now envisioning an entire retrofit of an aircraft in 30 days using 3D printing, to achieve 30% faster upgrades.


DEDICATED MACHINES To be able to produce highly accurate and repeatable parts, manufacturers need a deep understanding of the 3D printing process and the


XCELERATOR PORTFOLIO CHOSEN TO BUILD


CLOSED-LOOP PRODUCTION CHAIN FOR METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MATERIALS


AMAZEMET has adopted solutions from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to help build its closed-loop production chain for metal additive manufacturing materials and supporting post-processing equipment. The company is focused on the


commercialisation of ultrasonic atomisation to provide laboratory-scale units for the in-house manufacturing of powders with a tailored chemical composition that is suitable for various applications including additive manufacturing. Its team is aiming to broaden the scientific possibilities in materials development and metal additive manufacturing, and is relying on Siemens Xcelerator to help bring its products to market. At the core of AMAZEMET’s product range is


rePowder, an ultrasonic atomizer that can be used to produce metal powder from any alloy


in any feedstock form, even in small quantities for research purposes. In addition to the fundamental material processing technology, the company has also developed post- processing solutions including inFurner – an affordable high-vacuum laboratory furnace for heat treatment processes. To accomplish this, the AMAZEMET team has adopted Siemens’ NX software for product engineering and Teamcenter X software for cloud-based Product Lifecycle Management and collaboration. Łukasz Żrodowski, CEO, AMAZEMET said: “The Siemens Xcelerator portfolio enhances our efficiency, providing a single platform for managing documentation, product development, and manufacturing processes. Its scalability supports our continuous growth, streamlining documentation management, accelerating design and removing obstacles to expansion. Siemens’ NX significantly reduces our product development time, offering stability and reliability even with the complex assemblies found in our rePowder device, preventing data losses and system crashes. Siemens’ Teamcenter X provides a cloud-based, harmonised data structure ensuring all files and service documentation are accessible anywhere at any time.”


Siemens Digital Industries Software www.sw.siemens.com/en-US/


MAY 2024 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 51


causes of variation. To aid manufacturers with this process, OEMs are producing specialised 3D printing systems such as the Fortus 900mc. This is mechanically enhanced to remove common causes of part repeatability, such as by controlling moisture, and is supplied with all the process control documentation needed to certify parts. The 3D printing process, certified by the US National Center for Advanced Materials Performance, is designed to remove complexity from achieving certification from the relevant aviation agency, be it EASA or FAA. Alongside dedicated machines, there are


numerous materials available with the relevant certifications: FST, FAR 25.863 and UL94, alongside excellent strength to weight ratios.


Tri-Tech 3D


T: 01905 458000 www.tritech3d.co.uk


FEATURE


ADVANCED 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS


Digital manufacturing company Protolabs has expanded its additive manufacturing capabilities with two new HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series 3D printing systems. The HP Jet Fusion 5600 series is


characterised by reliable, efficient and scalable production. As a result, Protolabs’ customers will be able to obtain components and prototypes with more flexibility, as well as with higher quality and repeatability. These printers guarantee the production of


accurately fitting prototypes, as well as robust final components. They also offer enhanced monitoring of the entire printing process, resulting in significantly higher final product quality. Furthermore, the finished products have a more homogeneous surface, and the build lines are said to be barely visible.


Protolabs protolabs.com/en


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