On August 29, 2018, Antarctic Bear learned from foreign media that Carpenter, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of specialty metal alloy powders, announced that its subsidiary CalRAM's additive manufacturing production quality management system has obtained Aerospace Standard 9100 Revision D (AS9100 Rev D) Certification. Stephen Peskosky, Carpenter's vice president of development, said: "For companies working for aerospace or satellites, their first key point is to get AS9100 D certification. Without this certification, most companies, contractors, and engine manufacturers Business, they won't work with you. "
Earlier this year, Carpenter acquired CalRAM, a 25,000-square-foot powder bed fusion additive manufacturing specialist. The plant currently has 3D printing equipment for metal powders, including electron beam melting (EBM), laser sintering and heat treatment finishing services for small batch parts.
As an internationally recognized quality management standard for the aerospace industry, AS9100 Rev D certification for additive manufacturing has been awarded to a few manufacturers. This includes ZYCI, a 3D printing and CNC milling services company based in Atlanta and Kanfit, an Israeli aviation parts manufacturer.
Although Carpenter has been certified by other departments producing materials for aerospace products, the facility also needs to undergo rigorous evaluations to evaluate the processes used to make actual aerospace components.
According to Peskosky, the assessment involved "a large number of questionnaires", on-site visits by assessors and interviews with employees.
Recently, Carpenter became a founding member of the GE Additive Manufacturing Partner Network, which aims to increase the number of 3D printed components in the aerospace industry. As part of the agreement, the Arcam EBM Q20plus 3D printer was recently installed at the CalRAM plant, aimed at mass production of aerospace components such as structural fuselage components and turbine blades.
Prior to this, Carpenter acquired West Virginia-based titanium powder producer Puris for $ 35 million in 2017. With this acquisition, Carpenter has created CARTECH PURIS 5 titanium powder for metal 3D printing, which is designed for maximum reusability and material strength.
"We are buying companies that are just getting started so that we can bring Carpenter's expertise and support to grow them faster," explains Tony Thene, Carpenter President and CEO.
Carpenter also plans to invest $ 52 million in the Emerging Technology Center in Athens, Alabama, which will initially focus on the development of additive manufacturing technologies.