An advanced additive manufacturing technique, 3D printing technology has lately been extensively used in the aircraft industry. Leading aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus first brought 3D printing technology into use in their aerospace part manufacturing, so enhancing production efficiency and cost control as well as fostering creative development in the aviation manufacturing sector.
Boeing's Applications in 3D Printing
Since 2002, Boeing has been investigating the mass manufacturing functional components employing sintering based PA12 and PEKK materials using SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) technology. Designed in cooperation with Boeing and EOS, the high-performance carbon fibre reinforced PEKK material helps accomplish lightweighting and endows components with great isotropic strength. Many parts of Boeing aircraft are made from this material, which greatly increases aeroplane performance.
Another instance of Boeing's 3D printing technological use is the Dreamliner. For the Boeing 787, Norsk Titanium supplied components produced using rapid plasma deposition (RPD) technology. Using titanium wire to convert sophisticated components fit for structural and safety critical usage, RPD is an OEM certified additive manufacturing technique that saves Boeing major delivery time and expenses. Using this technology not only raises the structural safety and dependability of the 787 aircraft but also increases its manufacturing efficiency.
Furthermore, Boeing intends to use 3D printing technology to manufacture more parts for the 787 aircraft, therefore saving almost $2 to $3 million each aircraft. This metric not only shows Boeing's will to support the digital transformation of the aviation manufacturing sector but also illustrates the benefits of 3D printing technology in cost reduction.
Airbus's Applications for 3D Printing
Airbus has also had notable success in 3D printing technology application. Airbus has worked with Stratasys since 2013 to extensively use polymer materials to build components on the A350XWB aircraft, therefore attaining a single unit installation of over 500 pieces. Among the several onboard systems these parts cover are ducts, cable clamps, enclosures, and other constructions.
The biggest 3D printed aircraft component at the time, FDM technology and ULTRAM 9085 material replaced the cabin door curtain head of the A350XWB in 2018. Measurement is 1140720240mm. This project not only shows the capacity of 3D printing technology in manufacturing big and sophisticated components but also encourages Airbus' investigation in 3D printing of aeroplane interior components.
Among the 3D printing materials Airbus also employs are titanium alloy, aluminium alloy, ULTRAM 9085 resin, etc. With mature application settings, these materials have steady material and component performance, acquired a great volume of raw data, and completed long-term research and development tests. For the Airbus A380, Liebherr Group created titanium alloy integrated hydraulic pipelines using SLM technology; mass-produced 3D printed titanium alloy landing gear brackets for the A350 XWB. Apart from maximising aircraft weight and performance, 3D printing of these parts increases manufacturing efficiency.
Furthermore, Airbus has teamed up with Materialise to be among the first recognised vendors offering 3D printing services grounded on Airbus process requirements. Aircraft spare components for Airbus are produced by Materialise using 3D printing technology grounded on SLS (laser sintering) technique For the Airbus A350, Materialise has currently printed about 100 distinct flight spare parts, generating 26000 components yearly for the whole A350 ecosystem. Along with improving Airbus's aircraft spare part manufacturing efficiency, this collaboration helps 3D printing technology be widely used in the aviation sector.
Benefits and difficulties with 3D printing technology
Boeing and Airbus have shown several benefits from 3D printing technology in manufacturing aeronautical components. First of all, 3D printing technology can produce complicated geometric components-something challenging with conventional production techniques. Second, 3D printing technology can maximise aircraft fuel economy and safety as well as part weight and performance. Furthermore helping to shorten manufacturing cycles, lower production costs, and increase production efficiency is 3D printing technologies.
Still, there are certain difficulties applying 3D printing technology in the aerospace industry. For instance, the complicated and time-consuming process of airworthiness certification for 3D printed goods calls for high criteria and laws to be satisfied. Furthermore critical problems that must be resolved are the choice of materials and process optimisation of 3D printing technology.
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