Boeing has partnered with Indiana-based manufacturing specialist Thermwood to produce large 3D printed single-piece tools for Boeing's 777X project. The project demonstrates that additive manufacturing is ready to produce large-scale tooling parts for the aerospace industry.
The Boeing 777X was launched in September 2011 and aims to be an upgraded version of the current 777-300ER model, with a lower total weight, higher fuel economy and higher payload. Boeing announced two models, the 777-8 and the 777-9. To achieve a lower gross weight, Boeing announced that it will use carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which was successfully used on the 787 aircraft.
Thermwood used large additive manufacturing (LSAM) machines and newly developed vertical layer (VLP) 3D printing technology to make the tool into a one-piece print. LSAM is the industry's first extruded 3D printer with built-in CNC processing capabilities. The machine uses a two-step near-mesh production process for the production of large components.
Each LSAM machine includes a 3D printer rack and a second rack that is actually a five-axis CNC. The part is 3D printed first and then machined to the final size and shape using CNC. The process runs in free space and requires no molds or tools. These machines have a 10-foot-wide, 5-foot-high work area that can be adjusted in length from 10 to 100 feet. LSAM provides printing and processing on the same machine, and can print horizontally and vertically.
In a joint demonstration program with Boeing, Thermwood 3D printed and CNC machined a 12-foot (3.66-meter) R & D tool in a demonstration laboratory in southern Indiana and delivered it to Boeing in August 2018. This section is designed to eliminate the additional cost and schedule required to assemble multiple 3D printed tool components.
The tool uses a vertical layer printing system to 3D print 20% carbon fiber reinforced ABS material into a single piece. Boeing also purchased VLP-capable Thermowood LSAM machines for its Interior Design Responsibility Center (IRC) plant in Everett, Washington.
The ability to rapidly produce large tools at a quality level suitable for real-world production environments is an important step in moving additive manufacturing from the laboratory to the factory floor.