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GKN Aerospace partners with Arcam to industrialize electron beam melting

GKN Aerospace has partnered with Arcam AB to industrialize a new additive manufacturing process. The joint technology development partnership is working on electron beam melting (EBM) in which metal components are built up, layer-by-layer, using a metal powder that is melted by a powerful electron beam. EBM is able to produce very precise, complex, small- to medium-sized components that require little finishing.

Two Arcam Q20 EBM machines will be installed at the Bristol, United Kingdom, GKN Aerospace Additive Manufacturing (AM) Center. Engineers from both companies will work to create the next generation of EBM equipment, able to manufacture complex titanium structures at the high volumes required to meet future demand. www.gkn.com; www.arcam.com

Beckwood engineers install hydroforming press for aircraft manufacturing

Beckwood Press Co. has installed a fluid cell sheet hydroforming press within the aircraft manufacturing facility of a U.S.-headquartered company.

The Triform Model 2496-5BD press offers low volume, high mix parts production with a maximum of 5,000psi evenly distributed forming pressure. The press has a 24" x 96" oval-shaped forming area that can be used to form aerospace ribs, panels, trim pieces, and brackets.

Manufacturers using traditional press brakes to form multiple bends in a single part can consolidate process steps by transitioning to the Triform process, reducing manufacturing time, says Beckwood’s President Jeffrey Debus.

The 2496-5BD’s drive varies the motor’s speed and torque to demand while reducing noise levels and press operating temperature. The press features an overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) system to maximize productivity by identifying production problems through real-time monitoring of machine status, shift performance data, and labor productivity tracking. www.beckwoodpress.com; www.triformpress.com

Airbus Helicopters to develop South Korea’s light helicopters

Airbus Helicopters will join with Korea Aerospace Industries in developing two, 5 metric ton-class rotorcraft that meet South Korea’s requirements for its next-generation Light Civil Helicopter (LCH) and Light Armed Helicopter (LAH).

Airbus Helicopters has already jointly developed Korea’s Surion twin-engine utility transport helicopter with Korea Aerospace Industries.

The LCH and LAH will be based on Airbus Helicopters’ H155 (formerly known as the EC155) – the latest evolution of its Dauphin family, which includes military and para-public variants.

The contract, for production of more than 300 helicopters, is worth about $1.6 billion for Airbus Helicopters and $1.5 billion for KAI, an Airbus Helicopters spokesman told French media.

As part of the new commitment, Airbus Helicopters will transfer technical know-how to ensure Korea is able to develop the next-generation light rotorcraft.

“By continuing our relationship, we will significantly reduce the risks of these two new development programs while meeting all of the mission requirements,” says Airbus Helicopters President Guillaume Faury.

The LCH version is expected to enter service in 2020 while the service introduction of the LAH is targeted for 2022. www.airbushelicopters.com

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing 3D prints functional antenna arrays for NASA satellites

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, a Stratasys Co. and provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing services, has partnered with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to 3D print 30 antenna array supports for the FORMOSAT-7 Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC-2) satellite mission.

To keep the project on time and budget, JPL needed an alternative to astroquartz machined parts, the material traditionally used for arrays. JPL tasked Stratasys Direct Manufacturing to produce 3D printed parts that could handle complex array designs and be strong enough to withstand the harsh environment of outer space. The extreme conditions include temperatures from approximately -100°C through 100°C, plus the acceleration, shock, heat, and vibration experienced during rocket launch and mission duration.

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing built the custom-designed parts using fused deposition modeling (FDM), an additive manufacturing process. JPL chose ULTEM 9085 thermoplastic material with strength similar to metals but much less weight. While ULTEM 9085 has been well-vetted in the aerospace industry, it has not been used for an exterior application in space. The material passed qualification testing to meet NASA class B/B1 flight hardware requirements, including: resistance to outgassing (measured to be 0%), thermal expansion compatibility with aluminum panels, vibration and acoustic loads, and compatibility with the S13G white paint and primer NASA applied to the parts to protect the antenna array supports against oxygen atoms and ultraviolet radiation.

Each of the 30 arrays took approximately 58 hours to build. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing’s finishing department deburred the parts where needed, stamped each with an identification number, and included a material test coupon. It also reamed holes for fasteners that attach to the aluminum honeycomb panel and the small channels throughout the cones to the precise conducting-wire diameter. www.stratasysdirect.com