Boeing receives $500,000 in AFRL funding to develop 3D printing technology for hypersonic flight components

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A team led by manufacturer Boeing provided $500,000 in U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) funding.
Boeing has been selected as part of the America Makes ‘MAGMA’ project and will now work with RPM Innovations to develop high-speed flight components3D printingTechnology. Specifically, the team will continue to refine their design approach. It is understood that this will improve the reliability of components that are subject to deformation in hypersonic environments.

“These efforts will benefit the manufacture of a wide variety of products with complex geometric features, and the important lessons learned from these efforts are expected to help increase the yield of complex 3D printed components,” said Dr. Brandon D. “

The America Makes building in Youngstown, Ohio. Photo via America Makes.

Innovation at America Makes

Since its founding in Youngstown, Ohio, in 2012, America Makes has been experimenting with accelerating the adoption of 3D printing in a way that increases the competitiveness of U.S. global manufacturing. To achieve this, the institute uses a call for projects. In this way, it supports member organizations with new solutions to common 3D printing problems.In the past 12 months, the American Manufacturers Association has launched several such initiatives, including its most recent Rapid Innovation Initiative (RIC), which pledged $500,000 for projects to bring 3D printing to maturity, targeting six different areas, from in-situ monitoring and identification, to part defect detection and lightweighting. In June 2021, the institute also announced a $1.6 million open call for projects aimed at encouraging the development of innovative, cost-effective and energy-efficient additive manufacturing methods.With the support of AFRL, America Makes not only continues to seek new ways to mitigate defects, but also targets newtrainingand high temperature material identification methods.

More recently, 3D printing accelerators have put more emphasis on seeking to overcome the problems that arise with additive manufacturing of parts for high-speed applications. The agency last year launched a $500,000 call for “LAVA” projects seeking non-DED methods to prevent high-speed deformation, and now America Makes has launched a similarly titled, aligned-purpose “MAGMA” initiative.

△AmericaMakes has been awarded a $322 million budget by AFRL to drive3D printing technologyadoption, with members drawn primarily from industry, academia, government, workforce and economic development organizations. Photo via AmericaMakes.

Invested $500,000 in high-speed R&D

As part of America Makes’ Hypersonic Additive Manufacturing program, the organization has established a Geometry Management Methodology for Additive Manufacturing for High Speed Applications and the “MAGMA” project to promote3D printing technologydevelopment for deployment in high-speed applications.When America Makes first launched its MAGMA project initiative in October 2021, it outlined how additive manufacturing is increasingly helping U.S. companies reduce lead times for custom complex parts. However, the institute also raised some issues with current additive manufacturing, including the fact that various factors can lead to unacceptable differences in product geometry, making 3D printed parts impractical for high-speed environments.

To overcome this problem, America Makes has since sought proposals for improvements related to 3D printing to aid in geometric acceptance of related productsstandardmeasurable. Entries can range from statistical analysis to the creation of new design tools, the group said, with the idea of encouraging innovation rather than forcing entrants to meet certain rules.

While Boeing and RPM Innovations have now been announced as the winners of the MAGMA call for proposals, their hypersonic-related research is a sensitive topic, meaning their submissions are barely made public. However, given that RPM Innovations exclusively uses DED 3D printing technology to manufacture and repair parts, it is highly likely that its Freeform process will play into the team’s approach.

In addition, Ribic said the findings of the project could help suppliers gain a better understanding of additive technologies for various high-speed applications.Additionally, the fact that Boeing is already involved in the initiative suggests that its applications will be closely related to its core business, which revolves around aircraft, aviationaerospaceand defense manufacturing.

△U.S. government-backed organizations have poured a lot of money into hypersonic research and development over the years. Image via NASA.

Hypersonic Research in U.S. Defense

As global tensions continue to rise over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the importance of U.S. hypersonic technology has become clearer than ever. In fact, the Russian military is said to have been testing its latest Dagger missiles before the conflict, and using 3D printing technology to upgrade the engines of MiG-31 jets capable of carrying them.

Thankfully for the United States and its allies, the country is no stranger to hypersonic research itself, with its Department of Defense (DoD) often turning to 3D printing to enable advances in the field. For example, in October 2021, the Department of Defense awarded $25.5 million to hypersonic research and development programs that are expected to deploy 3D printing, machine learning, and nondestructive testing methods to advance hypersonic flight.

Around the same time, the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) also announced that it intends to double down on hypersonic research and development. Using advanced technologies such as 3D printing, the group, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University and the University of Miami, says it aims to make Dahlgren the Navy’s leader in hypersonic weapons integration.

(responsible editor: admin)

Boeing receives $500,000 in AFRL funding to develop 3D printing technology for hypersonic flight components

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