An Overview of Ni Base Additive Fabrication Technologies for Aerospace Applications (Preprint)

Abstract

The cost of aerospace components is often significantly increased due to the amount of material over and above the finished geometry that must be removed during manufacturing. This results in a substantial conversion cost needed to generate the final component. It is not uncommon to machine away 90% or more of the initial input shape, thereby increasing cost, cycle time and other overhead costs. Additive manufacturing includes an umbrella of technologies that can be used to dramatically reduce the BTF ratio, resulting in lower cost and manufacturing cycle time. An overview of additive manufacturing technologies and their fit into aero engine manufacturing will be presented. Advantages and disadvantages of the technologies will be discussed. Development work will be presented with commonly used aerospace materials. Preliminary mechanical property results and cost modeling will be presented. Near-term equipment and process development needs will be addressed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA548319

Entities

People

  • Christopher L. English
  • David H. Abbott
  • Sudhir K. Tewari

Organizations

  • General Electric

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Assembly
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Electron Beam Melting
  • Fabrication
  • Laser Additive Manufacturing
  • Lasers
  • Manufacturing
  • Manufacturing Engineering
  • Materials
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Military Research
  • Printing Equipment
  • Selective Laser Sintering
  • Stereolithography

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Manufacturing Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space