Russian state successfully flight tests 3D printed gas turbine engine

The Russian state-backed Advanced Research Foundation (FPI) and Federal State Unitary Enterprise (VIAM) have flight-tested their 3D printed MGTD-20 gas turbine engine for the first time. The motor was evaluated onboard a light Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which was launched over the Kazanbash aviation center in Tatarstan, around 500 miles east of Moscow. Utilizing 3D […]

3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, July 19, 2020

A variety of topics will be covered in this week’s webinar and virtual event roundup, including additive manufacturing in aerospace, CAMWorks, product management, post-processing, and more. Read on to learn more about, and register for, these online opportunities.

AM in Aerospace Virtual Panel

On Tuesday, July 21st, Women in 3D Printing (Wi3DP) will host the third event, “Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace”, in its virtual panel series. Sponsored by AlphaSTAR and Link3D, the panel will focus on how AM is used in the aerospace industry. Moderated by AM-Cubed founder Kristin Mulherin, the speakers are Anna Tomzynska, Director and Additive Manufacturing Chief Engineer for Boeing; Deb Whitis, GE Aviation Chief Engineer; and Eliana Fu, Senior Engineer, Additive Technologies, at Relativity Space.

Pre-registration will begin at 11 am EST, with a welcome speech at 11:25. The hour-long panel will begin at 11:30, with plenty of time for live Q&A, and there will be a virtual networking reception at 12:30. Register for the virtual panel here.

3DEO Webinar – Why I Switched From CNC Machining

Also on July 21st, metal 3D printing company 3DEO is hosting a live webinar, entitled “Why I Switched From CNC Machining: An Engineer’s Perspective on Transitioning to Metal 3D Printing.” The webinar, which starts at 1 pm EST, will feature 3DEO Applications Engineer Julien Cohen, who will explain the major differences between metal 3D printing and CNC machining. The following topics will be covered:

  • Compare CNC machining and 3DEO’s proprietary metal 3D printing process

  • Understand the value metal 3D printing offers engineers in design and flexibility

  • Learn about the pros and cons of each process and when metal 3D printing makes sense

  • Discover three real-world case studies of 3DEO winning versus CNC machining

  • See 3DEO’s process for going from first articles to production

You can register for the webinar on 3DEO’s website.

Free CAMWorks Webinar Series

To make sure professionals in the CAM industry have easy access to educational and training materials during the COVID-19 crisis, a free CAMWorks webinar series has been launched. Each session will give attendees the opportunity to increase their CAM skills, learning about more advanced features that can help maintain business operations. SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks: Getting Started” is on Tuesday, July 21st, at 10:30 am EST, and will be a training session on using the integrated CNC programming system SOLIDWORKS CAM Standard. It will also provide an introduction to the Technology Database (TechDB), which can automate the CNC programming process. “SOLIDWORKS CAM for Designers: A Path to Better Designs” will also take place on July 21st, at 2 pm EST, and will focus on how to use SOLIDWORKS CAM to reduce cost, improve design, and make it easier to manufacture parts.

You’ll need to attend the “Getting Started” webinar before attending “SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks: Getting Started with the TechDB” on Thursday, July 23rd at 10:30 am EST. This is a more in-depth training session for using the TechDB included in SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks. The final webinar in the series is “The Future of Manufacturing in the COVID Era,” also held on July 23rd, at 2 pm EST. This session will help attendees learn how to automate part programming to stay productive and competitive during and after the pandemic.

Protolabs Webinar: HP’s Multi Jet Fusion

On Wednesday, July 22nd, at 2 pm EST, Protolabs will be hosting a webinar with HP, called “Tips and Tricks to Leverage Multi Jet Fusion in your Product Development Cycle.” One of the company’s Applications Engineers, Joe Cretella, and Brent Ewald, HP’s Solution Architect, will discuss design tips that result in good MJF parts, how to implement the technology, and where MJF fits within additive and subtractive manufacturing.

This webinar will help attendees understand how the HP Multi Jet Fusion technology 3D printing process can be leveraged in various stages of the product development lifecycle. The experts at HP and Protolabs have teamed up to give you key insights into Multi Jet Fusion materials, processing capabilities, and part quality. Whether the attendee is new to additive manufacturing or evaluating Multi Jet Fusion for their production project, this presentation will help identify when the technology provides the most value and what to consider when manufacturing Multi Jet Fusion parts.”

Register for the webinar here.

Dassault Systèmes on Project Management Solutions

At 10 am EST on Thursday, July 23rd, Dassault Systèmes will hold a live webinar,”Discover How to Deliver Projects on Time and Under Budget, a Real-time Online Experience,” all about collaborating with integrated project management solutions connected to 3D engineering data in order to drive project success. Dassault speakers Maximilian Behre, the Online Industry Business Consultant Director, and 3DS Industry Process Consultants Siddharth Sharma and Alessandro Tolio, will discuss project management challenges, shortening the design cycle through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, provide a demonstration of Project Management on the cloud, and answer questions.

“Whether you are managing big programs that involve hundreds of people or are leading a smaller project, an easy to use integrated project management solution will help you to seamlessly collaborate across all disciplines with any stakeholder. Connect the dots between Marketing, Engineering to Manufacturing and customer services.”

Register here.

KEX Knowledge Exchange on Post-Processing

Finally, former Fraunhofer IPT spinoff KEX Knowledge Exchange AG is holding its second webinar on its KEX.net web platform, “Online Seminar Post-Processing for Additive Manufacturing,” on Thursday, July 23rd. Lea Eilert, the project and technology manager for the ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing, will teach attendees about typical heat treatment for AM materials, the necessity of post-processing for 3D printed components, and various post-machining and surface finishing methods.

Register for the webinar here. In addition, Eilert will also present the third KEX webinar on August 6th, entitled “Market, Costs & Innovation.”

Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! 

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US Air Force uses Senvol software to develop multi-laser 3D printing applications

The US Air Force is using Senvol’s data-driven machine learning software for additive manufacturing (AM), to enable the production of large-scale aerospace parts using multi-laser 3D printing technology. Utilizing an EOS powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printer, the program is focused on developing baseline mechanical properties and design allowables, to optimize the production of end-use […]

3D Printing and COVID-19, April 4, 2020 Update

Companies, organizations and individuals continue to attempt to lend support to the COVID-19 pandemic supply effort. We will be providing regular updates about these initiatives where necessary in an attempt to ensure that the 3D printing community is aware of what is being done, what can be done and what shouldn’t be done to provide coronavirus aid.

Essentium, Inc. is now using its technology to 3D print reusable protective face masks to fulfill supply needs in its hometown of Pflugerville, Texas. The mask frame is made from thermoplastic urethane branded as Essentium TPU74D and is meant to be easy to clean and used in conjunction with single-use filtration media. It is meant for general, non-medical use during the COVID-19 outbreak based on FDA Emergency Use Authorization and is hosted on the National Institute of Health repository. 

Essentium’s 3D-printed face mask for police and fire department staff. Image courtesy of Essenitum.

In response to an order from the city’s Pflugerville Community Development Corp, the company has so far delivered 30 units for the city’s police and fire department. By next week, it hopes to provide a total of 500 masks and thinks that it can ramp up production to 5,000 pieces weekly. 

Meanwhile, Shapeways is producing face fields that are being used by medical crews. So far, the 3D printing bureau has made 1,100 face shields. The company is requesting $20 donations to make the shields, but will contribute its own funds to make every fifth shield produced. 

Siemens already announced that it would be opening up its additive manufacturing network at no cost to designers and suppliers to produce supplies for the COVID-19 outbreak. The German giant has now provided a progress report on its efforts, including the fact that it is working with manufacturers to adapt and speed up production of pharmaceuticals and protective gear. In particular, it has ramped up its manufacturing of blood-gas monitoring, portable X-ray, ultrasound and CT systems. It has also increased its deployment of virtual training and remotely managed imaging systems. 

Protective eyewear designed and printed by BEGO. Image courtesy of BEGO.

Others participating in complementing the supply efforts include BEGO, a digital dentistry specialist that relies on 3D printing and CAD/CAM to produce utensils for the prevention of infection. The company has opened up design files for modular face shield frames, breathing brackets and other parts, while also offering its production services in Bremen, Germany to medical facilities to fabricate any parts that may be necessary. For instance, BEGO Implant Systems has 3D printed protective eyewear and donated it to the  Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists for distribution among local hospitals and clinics. 

Smaller firms are continuing to provide their own services to produce face shields, including Brooklyn-based 3D printing company Makelab. The shield itself is made out of plastic dividers and presentation covers to attach to 3D-printed brackets. On the flipside, Solvay, which has extensive resources as a large chemical company, is working with Boeing to create face shields made from its own transparent thermoplastic films.

The materials from which they are made, Radel PPSU and Udel PSU, can be sterilized for medical use. Additionally, Solvay is working on 3D printing parts for ventilators, CAPRs, PAPRs, and surgical and N95 mask parts, as well as lubricants for oxygen machines. It is also making sanitizing gels. Boeing is moving some of its manufacturing operations to make face shields at its sites in Missouri, California, Arizona, Alabama and Pennsylvania. It plans to use its cargo aircraft to transport supplies to healthcare facilities. 

Given all of the efforts by companies large and small, along with helpful Makers and hobbyists, it will be interesting to determine to the extent to which their work has aided in preventing the spread of the virus, if it is finally contained. How this analysis can be achieved is difficult to know, but it is something that we will surely be considering. 

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Independent study concludes 180% ROI on automated gas turbine repair

New Mexico-based 3D printing solutions provider, Optomec, has released an independent study showing the validity of automated laser cladding for gas turbine engine repairs. The study, conducted by Terry VanderWert, a 40-year veteran in laser process technologies, was commissioned by Optomec and concludes the automated metal additive manufacturing solution could provide a 180% ROI over […]

Boeing 777x Takes First Flight with over 600 3D-Printed Parts

Sunday saw the maiden flight of the Boeing 777X, marking an important date in the history of 3D printing for the twin GE9X engines driving the aircraft. Each GE9X features roughly 300 3D-printed parts made by GE Additive’s Technology Center in Ohio and the team at Avio Aero in Italy. The event was so momentous that Boeing tracked the flight live that day.

An upgrade to the Boeing 777, launched in 1994, the 777X is instantly recognizable for its carbon fiber, folding wing tips, which allow the craft to park in the same bays as other planes. The 777X is being billed as the largest and most fuel-efficient twin-engine jet on the planet, due to a 10 percent decrease in fuel use and emissions. One might wonder the worth of celebrating the flight of a new aircraft, given the massive carbon footprint of the aerospace industry, but, unless flying becomes more heavily regulated, any improvement in emissions is worth noting.

This reduction in emissions was achieved in part by a new aerodynamic design and the GE9X engines. As wide as the body of a Boeing 737, the GE9X is the world’s largest engine on any commercial plane. This size was achieved through the use of advanced fiber composites that made it possible to drop the number of blades in the system from 22, as seen in the GE90, to just 16. In addition, the GE9X features the now famous 3D-printed fuel nozzle, which reduced part count from 20 to just one.

A GEnx engine on a test stand in Peebles, Ohio. Image courtesy of GE Aviation.

Other features, such as the use of light and heat-resistant ceramic composites for the engine shroud, not only result in increased weight and fuel savings, but also render the GE9X the most powerful engine on any commercial aircraft. It delivers up to 100,000 pounds of thrust.

After the GE9X underwent a test flight in March 2018, they have been outfitted onto a 777x, which was scheduled for its first take-off on Saturday, January 25, but delayed due to weather. The following day, the aircraft took off from and landed at Boeing Field outside of Seattle.

The Boeing 777X is competing with the Airbus A350 XWB, in terms of size, performance and number of 3D-printed parts. The A350 already features over 1,000 3D-printed parts, including cabin parts made using Stratasys technology, titanium pylon brackets, and a cabin spacer 3D printed by Materialise. What it doesn’t have is a recent history of catastrophic engine failures associated with the 737 MAX engines.

This latest PR event may help some tech enthusiasts forget the recent tragedies associated with the 737 MAX, but the company will have to do more to gain the reassurance of the FAA, its customers and the public. Naturally, the FAA has said that it will ensure a rigorous review of the aircraft, after its neglect over the 737 Max, and Boeing has said that it will also perform thorough testing to achieve FAA certification. Emirates, the aircraft’s launch customer, has said that it wants the plane to be put through “hell on Earth” during testing.

The 777X is expected to enter service in 2021, which is a year later  than originally scheduled. The A350, on the other hand, has already begun flying.

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Tuskegee University Selected by NASA to Advance Additive Manufacturing in Aerospace

The aerospace industry is a trendsetter when it comes to manufacturing. It is a major industry that evolved its expertise into lighter material, efficient engines and overall safer machines. Leveraging high technologies and reducing time-to-market is essential for the field to move forward, especially with a close future in the commercial development of low Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. NASA is now accelerating manufacturing needs in the US space sector by selecting three minority-serving institutions to advance aerospace manufacturing. The space agency announced last week that Tuskegee University, in Alabama, will be one of three universities awarded grants through its Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP). Part of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, MUREP partnered with the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to provide the students with the education and experience needed to help address manufacturing needs. Tuskegee will be looking into the impact of additive manufacturing on aerospace high-volume manufacturing and supply chain management.

“In recent years, the U.S. aerospace industry has struggled to meet the growing global demand for aircraft and parts, resulting in all-time-high order backlogs, unsustainable spare parts inventories, and lost opportunities for growth,” explained Firas Akasheh, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tuskegee University and leader of the project as its principal investigator.

Through the project, entitled Impact of Additive Manufacturing on Aerospace High-Volume Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management: Workforce Alignment through Research and Training, faculty researchers and students at Tuskegee will collaborate with the Bell Helicopter team, an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Together, they will analyze current manufacturing and supply chain practices and develop executable 3D manufacturing plans for both helicopter and drone applications. In the drone track, university researchers will incorporate 3D printing into the design, build and test phases to improve the functionality and performance of these aircraft. The work will be conducted in increments to allow for continuous assessment of the quality performance of 3D printed parts.

Akasheh will lead a multidisciplinary research team that includes co-principal investigators Vascar Harris, a professor of aerospace science engineering; Mohammad Hossain, an associate professor of mechanical engineering; and Mandoye Ndoye, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.

During the next two years, the project will provide students with innovative opportunities to learn about designing and building aerospace parts using high-volume manufacturing practices, as well as supply chain management. It will also help Tuskegee’s College of Engineering expand its existing additive manufacturing facilities and capabilities for the benefit of future academic and research efforts.

“3D printing offers an incredible advantage to current manufacturing shortfalls that risk the nation’s aerospace industry maintaining its competitive edge and meeting its strategic requirements,” Akasheh continued.

Image Credits: NASA

Indeed, Akasheh is on the right track: a 2019 Ernst and Young report suggests that aerospace and defense players are also increasingly adopting digital and advanced manufacturing technologies in the design and production of their products. Advanced manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing, help them reduce supply chain lead time, improve reliability and productivity, and simplify designs. For example, to further enhance its advanced manufacturing capabilities, GE announced the acquisitions of Europe-based Arcam AB and Concept Lasers and is establishing a “GE Additive Customer Experience Center” in Germany. Among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Boeing has about 50,000 3D printed parts flying on its commercial, space, and military products. Airbus, on the other hand, is focusing on using AM for not only prototyping and parts manufacturing for a wide range of aircraft, but also for spare parts solutions. Simplifying engineering by using can improve time-to-market, quality, product reuse, significantly cut costs, and supply chain complexity.

Other minority-serving institutions funded through this NASA cooperative include the University of Texas at El Paso that proposed a southwest alliance for aerospace and defense manufacturing and talent development, and Virginia State University, in Petersburg, that will create a pilot program to advance all fronts of manufacturing in the sector.

The MUREP Aerospace High-Volume Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Cooperative will provide almost $1.5 million to fund curriculum-based learning, research, training, internships, and apprenticeships at all three institutions to meet the growing demand for expertise and techniques in high-volume aerospace manufacturing.

Tuskegee University students

For more than a decade, MUREP investments have enhanced the academic, research and technological capabilities of minority-serving institutions through multiyear grants. These institutions recruit and retain underrepresented and underserved students — including women, girls, veterans, and persons with disabilities — into STEM fields. Out of the total 3,289 enrolled students at Tuskegee, 62% are women, while 80% are Black. Encouragement and incentives are a great way to get people interested in the field of study. Additionally, if the gender gap in STEM careers will close sometime in the next 50 years, it will be with initiatives like MUREP that help us do it.

[Image credits: NASA and Tuskegee University]

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Register for the Third Annual Munich Technology Conference

The third annual Munich Technology Conference (MTC3) is returning to Germany from October 8-10th, with the theme “Additive Manufacturing – Accelerating the Industrialization: A Reality Check.” Initiated by the Swiss international technology Group, Oerlikon and co-hosted by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), MTC3 is partnered with GE Additive, Linde, McKinsey & Company, Siemens and […]

Boeing HorizonX Ventures provides further funding for Morf3D metal additive manufacturing

Boeing HorizonX Ventures, the seed and mid/growth stage investment arm of the Boeing aerospace corporation, has provided further funding to metal 3D printing specialist Morf3D. Founded in 2015, the additive manufacturing and consultancy service received its first financial support from Horizon X in 2018. Both figures, from the funding in 2018 and the new funding dated August […]