China3D printingNet August 14th,The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Division (ManTech) is working with Boeing and Indiana-based machinery manufacturer Thermwood to use additive manufacturing to produce low-cost responsive tools.
As part of the AFRL Low-Cost Attribution Technology (LCAAT) program, partners are using Thermwood’s large-scale additive manufacturing (LSAM) machines to produce aerospace components3D printingAutoclave tools.
Craig Neslen, head of manufacturing at LCAAT, explained: “Future low-cost drones will require responsive materials and manufacturing process strategies.
The additive-manufactured composite mold is one of the many technologies evaluated to ensure that the industrial base can handle the requirements of future manufacturing waves and adapt to periodic system technology update activities, which may require small vehicle design changes at an acceptable cost . “
For large-scale additive manufacturing of molds
The LCAAT program aims to break new aerospaceThe cost growth curve and production time of the system. Such systems are exposed to high pressure and high temperature, and require industrial autoclaves to process and sterilize their parts and materials.
LSAM machines have been used3D printingIt is considered the largest autoclave tool ever manufactured for Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., a US aerospace manufacturer. It is currently used to manufacture and develop blades for its helicopters.In addition, Boeing adopts the LSAM process and vertical layer printing (VLP) technology to carry out the trimming of the 12-foot-long Boeing 777x trim tool.3D printing, The production time is 43 hours and 20 minutes.
In view of the previous cooperation, Boeing and Thermwood signed the LCAAT program contract to3D printingPart of the body skin tool to evaluate the LSAM function. AFRL project manager Andrea Helbach added: “We are interested in adding manufacturing tools that can reduce the cost and time of purchasing autoclave tools. In addition, AM tools support changes in component design andCost to a minimum. “
Conceptual drawing of AFRL’s aircraft fuselage skin and tools. Image: Thermwood
3D printingBody skin
Use 40mm printing core, run 25% carbon fiber reinforced polyethersulfone (PESU), medium scale tool3D printing5 hours and 15 minutes. This 367-pound mold is said to have the same width and height as the final tool, but its length has been reduced from 10 feet to 4 feet.
After machining the tool, probe the surface profile and test the vacuum integrity. According to Thermwood, the full-size tool is expected to weigh approximately 1,400 pounds and will take 18 hours to print.According to China3D printingNetwork understanding,Currently, Boeing and the AFRL project are carefully documentingAll operating parameters in order to transform the technology into a production plan.
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3D printingPart of the body skin. Photo: Thermwood
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