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ULA 3D-prints rocket components

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has begun updating the environmental control system (ECS) duct on its Atlas V rocket using two Fortus 900mc 3D production systems from Stratasys to 3D-print flight-ready components. The ECS duct delivers nitrogen to sensitive electronic components within the rocket booster, making it critical to the countdown sequence of a launch.

The previous design contained 140 parts, but by using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, ULA consolidated the number of parts to only 16, reducing installation time and slashing part cost by 57%. The new 3D component is scheduled to launch in 2016.

ULA selected SABIC’s Ultem 9085 FDM thermoplastic material to produce the high-performance end-use parts.

“Ultem 9085 has great strength properties over a wide temperature range,” says Greg Arend, program manager for additive manufacturing at ULA. “It is very capable of withstanding temperatures from cryogenic all the way up to extreme heat. And it’s tough enough to handle the vibration and stress of lift-off and flight.”

ULA plans to increase the quantity of 3D-printed parts to more than 100 on its next-generation Vulcan rocket. www.stratasys.com; www.ulalaunch.com; www.sabic-ip.com

Hexagon Metrology president and CEO receives honorary degree

Hexagon Metrology’s President and CEO Angus C.F. Taylor has been recognized with an honorary Doctor of Business degree from the University of Rhode Island for his contributions to the university and to the state of Rhode Island.

Taylor has been a passionate advocate for dual language immersion programs in public schools while at the helm of Hexagon Metrology. Taylor has served on the board of directors of the International Engineering Program at the university since 2011. He started his profession as a project engineer working for a subsidiary of Brown & Sharpe, a Rhode Island manufacturing company, now part of Hexagon Metrology. www.hexagonmetrology.us

Reshoring Initiative data emphasize positive trends

The Reshoring Initiative, an organization committed to helping manufacturers recognize the profit potential of using local sourcing and production, has published its annual data report on reshoring trends, and the news is good. More than 60,000 manufacturing jobs were brought to the United States by reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2014, a 400% increase since 2003. By comparison, the United States lost about 140,000 manufacturing jobs per year to offshoring in 2003. The steady decrease in the number of jobs lost, with a net gain last year, is building confidence that reshoring and FDI are contributing to U.S. manufacturing’s rebound.

Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative and retired president of GF AgieCharmilles, notes, “With 3 million to 4 million manufacturing jobs still off shore, we see huge potential for even more growth and hope this data will motivate more companies to reevaluate their sourcing and siting decisions.” www.reshorenow.org

Reshoring & FDI benefits

• Government incentives
• Skilled workforce
• Value of ‘Made in USA’
• Automation

Offshoring risks

• Lower quality
• Long lead times
• High freight costs
• Rising wages

Ball Aerospace team honored for science and technology

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been recognized for its role on the Kepler planet-hunting mission as part of a team award from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Among other qualifications, the annual trophy recognizes past and present achievements involving the management or execution of a scientific or technological project.

“Ball Aerospace is very proud to receive one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most distinguished honors,” says Ball Aerospace President Robert D. Strain.

Ball Aerospace was the prime contractor for NASA’s Kepler Mission, designed to search for rocky, Earth-sized planets around other stars. Ball designed and built the Kepler spacecraft, which includes a sensitive photometer used to find planets, and it operates Kepler for NASA.

Kepler launched in 2009 and has since confirmed more than 1,000 planets around stars and collected evidence for thousands more. In 2013, Kepler’s mission appeared to be over when two of four reaction wheels failed and the spacecraft lost its stability. The team from Ball Aerospace developed an innovative way of recovering pointing stability by using solar pressure to control the spacecraft. The K2 mission became operational in June 2014. www.ballaerospace.com

SABIC’s Clear Lexan XHR sheet series wins Crystal Cabin Award

SABIC has been named a winner of the international competition for excellence in aircraft interior innovation Crystal Cabin Award in the materials and components category at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. SABIC was honored for its Clear Lexan XHR sheet series.

The sheet series, a lightweight engineered thermoplastic material, provides airlines with a transparent material to help differentiate cabin interior designs. Along with 80% light transmission, Clear Lexan XHR2000 sheet offers durability and thermoformability, while complying with strict airline standards for fire, smoke, and toxicity. It can be used for window reveals, partitions, refrigeration equipment, luxury interiors, walls, security partitions, oversized windows, self-service refreshment stations, instrument displays, divider panels, and mirrors.

“The award is tremendous validation that our commitment to the aircraft industry is helping to solve industry challenges,” says Kim Choate, director of mass transportation for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business.

Judging criteria included: unique/novel features; compatibility with general market demand; aesthetic and engineering qualities; usability; and cost-effectiveness.

Coated Clear Lexan XHR2HC1 and Lexan XHR2HC2 sheets provide robust vertical-burn performance, reaching industry standards without the need for secondary processing to apply a coating, laminate, or film.

Lexan XHR2HC1 sheet, coated on one side, is a candidate for components that need to be laminated or printed. Lexan XHR2HC2 sheet is a candidate for similar applications, offering scratch, chemical, and graffiti resistance on both coated sides. www.crystal-cabin-award.com; www.sabic.com