Has metal 3D printing been applied to aerospace molds?

1. Technological adaptability: overcoming the physical and financial barriers of conventional production
Aerospace moulds need to have complex channel designs, high-precision surface treatment, lightweight structures, and the ability to withstand harsh conditions. Metal 3D printing technology meets all of these needs with the following features:
Design of a cooling channel that fits
The typical mould cooling system uses drilling technology, but it is limited by the structure of the mould. This can produce problems with uneven cooling that can lead to hot spots. Metal 3D printing may stick to mould cavities by using topology optimisation to construct cooling channels in any shape. For instance, Platinum Technology made an ignition bend tube mould for Blue Arrow Aerospace that uses a conformal waterway to cut the injection moulding cycle by 35%. The product certification rate has gone up from 85% to 96%. This kind of technique can greatly lower thermal stress concentration in moulds for aircraft engine blades and make the mould last longer.
High-precision surface and functional integration
Aerospace moulds need very smooth surfaces, and metal 3D printing may get surfaces with a roughness of Ra ≤ 0.8 μ m by changing the laser power, scanning method, and powder properties. For instance, the titanium alloy hip joint mould made by the Platinum A160 printer has a microporous structure on the surface (with a porosity of 60% to 80%) that fulfils biocompatibility standards right away, thus there is no need for polishing after printing. Also, metal 3D printing can print with more than one material at once. For example, Laser Luminescence made a copper high-temperature alloy multi-material thrust chamber mould that adds a GH4169 reinforcement layer to the surface of the copper substrate using laser cladding technology. This balances thermal conductivity and structural strength.
Lightweight and Topology Optimisation
To save energy and make transportation more efficient, aerospace moulds need to be as light as feasible while still being strong. Biomimetic lattice architectures and thin-walled reinforcement can help metal 3D printing save more than 30% of its weight. For instance, Platinum Technology made a 3D printing mould for a certain satellite construction that uses a lattice design. This design cuts the weight by 40% while still being strong. It has been used successfully on China's largest 3D printing satellite project in space.
Quickly making changes and small batches
Traditional mould manufacturing takes several months to open a mould, whereas metal 3D printing can swiftly switch mould models using the "one click printing" option. This is important for aerospace products because they have a short iteration cycle. For instance, the Wisconsin 3D printing equipment can print with multiple lasers at the same time. It can make 200 pieces a day and costs 40% less per piece than traditional methods. This speeds up the research and development cycle for new rocket engines by a lot.
2. Common use cases: covering everything from key components to the whole industry chain
Metal 3D printing technology has made its way into many important areas of aerospace moulds, creating a complete process solution from design verification to mass production:
Mould for engine parts
Metal 3D printing is often used to make moulds for essential parts like turbine blades and combustion chambers in aircraft engines. The YF-75DA engine ignition bend tube mould, which was created by Platinum and Blue Arrow Aerospace working together, reduces the risk of cracking that comes with standard welding methods by using integrated forming. This makes the mould last more than 50% longer. GE Aviation also employs metal 3D printing to make moulds for fuel nozzles, which cuts delivery times in half and costs by 30%.
Mould for structural parts of spacecraft
Making moulds for big structural parts like satellites and rocket sections needs materials that are very strong and precise in size. The LiM-X650 laser equipment printed the mould for a certain area of the rocket compartment. It is composed of a strong and lightweight aluminium alloy. Topology optimisation improves the structural performance, and the local lattice structure is developed to get rid of extra parts and meet lightweight criteria. The mould has been successfully used to make the second stage of the Chang Ba Jia rocket core, which has greatly sped up the production process.
Mould for heat exchange and heat loss
Aerospace equipment works in very harsh conditions, and heat dissipation moulds have very strict performance standards. The pure copper heat dissipation fin mould made by Platinum Technology has a gradient thickness of 0.5mm to 1mm. This, along with the high thermal conductivity of pure copper, makes it 40% more efficient at dissipating heat than typical moulds. People have utilised this kind of mould a lot in places like rocket engine thrust chambers and satellite thermal control systems.
Fixing and remanufacturing moulds
It costs a lot to fix mould wear or cracks on aerospace equipment after it has been used for a long time. Using reverse engineering, metal 3D printing can swiftly make copies of mould cavities. It can also fix local damage using grafting printing technique. For instance, Platinum system's automatic grafting system for parts has a grafting accuracy of 0.05mm, which cuts repair costs in half compared to previous methods and speeds up repair cycles by 70%.
3. Creating an industrial ecosystem: from big technological advances to big uses
The widespread use of metal 3D printing in the aerospace mould business is the result of new ideas coming from both the top and bottom of the industry chain.
New ideas for tools and materials
Bolite and Huashu High Tech are two domestic companies that have released several industrial-grade metal 3D printers that can create huge, multi-material, and high-precision objects. For instance, the Platinum BLT-S1500 includes a 26-laser synchronous scanning system that can print 10 times faster than standard single-laser equipment and make aerospace parts with a diameter of 1.5 meters. Xi'an Sailong Metal has made spherical titanium alloy powder that is 30% more flowable, which means that it can be printed with more accuracy. AVIC Maite's MT800H equipment can print nickel-based high-temperature alloys to meet the needs of engine hot end components.
Setting standards and optimising processes
The aerospace sector has very high criteria for mould quality and needs to set tight guidelines for how processes are run. For instance, Platinum Technology's intelligent process library combines over 100,000 sets of material parameters and makes it easy to find the best printing solution with just one click. The industrial-grade metal 3D printing solution created by Huashu High Tech and Siemens uses multi-physics field coupling analysis to find the best printing path and lower the risk of deformation. Also, companies in the US are actively involved in the creation of international standards like ISO/ASTM, which encourages the use of technology in a standardised way.
New ways to provide services
Metal 3D printing companies are changing from "equipment suppliers" to "full lifecycle service providers." For instance, Bolite uses an IoT platform to warn customers about equipment problems, diagnose them from afar, and send them parts. Their customers come from industries like aerospace and automotive manufacturing. Huashu High Tech has created an all-in-one delivery model of "hardware+software+services" to help customers overcome technical challenges.