In 2014, a 3D printed Airbus A350 XWB bracket connector was selected as the "German Industrial Innovation Award" because it completely changed the manufacturing method of aircraft components and the "lightweight" approach of civil aircraft. The parts used to fix the wings and engines of airplanes cannot be manufactured by traditional techniques because of their complicated geometric structures. However, the new manufacturing process of 3D printing has made it a reality. This type of cross-industry development not only achieves excellent quality, but also has economic value, which promotes its mass application.
Airbus said that by integrating the production process of these parts, 3D printing makes it more control over the supply chain. At the same time, with a moderate manufacturing volume, metal 3D printing is more cost-effective than traditional processes and greatly shortens the delivery time. In industries where demand may be unpredictable, this is an important trade-off factor.
This relatively complex bracket was made by aluminum alloy milling in the past, which would produce a lot of waste during processing. With titanium alloy 3D printing, the optimization of the structure has reduced its weight by more than 30%. The important basis for the use of metal 3D printing in the aircraft manufacturing process is that the technology achieves geometric freedom and can reduce weight. "Lightweight structure" can help airlines operate aircraft more economically. New aircraft designs require thousands of flight test mounting brackets. The number of production units for these brackets is very small, and additive manufacturing technology allows designers to experiment with new structures.
Over the years, 3D printing technology and material science have been further developed, and "lightweight" and "bionics" have also pointed to a new trend. Airbus is studying the possibility of using 3D printed composite stents to replace titanium alloys.
According to Arris, the use of continuous fiber composite 3D printing after topology optimization of a 220-gram metal stent can reduce part weight by 75% to 50 grams.
Arris Composites claims that a new era of metal substitution has arrived, where machining, 3D printing, metal casting, metal injection molding and metal overmolding products can be replaced by superior composite designs. Continuous fiber + thermoplastic composite manufacturing realizes the mass production of high-strength and lightweight parts. Through this new process, high-grade carbon fiber materials can be produced at the same speed as plastic molded products, and carbon fiber parts can replace titanium materials, which can increase the weight Reduce 78%.