Page 61 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2017 Online Magazine

MRO TRENDS

RIGHT: An embedded antenna on an
MQ-9 Reaper part made possible
through functional applications of
additive manufacturing
BOTTOM: Engineers like Dr. Mark
Benedict, a senior materials
engineer at the AFRL Laboratory’s
Materials and Manufacturing
Directorate, are hard at work on
3D printing technologies. The
offshoots of these technologies
could reach the MRO world before
the end of the decade
of innovation and offers an alternative for of its air power sustainment mission. “We’ve on-site, where it may be used immediately or
creating shapes closer to what an engineer realised that additive manufacturing is a stored again. With 3D printing, the required
might need, with fewer constraints. Today’s technology that is mature enough, that it is part can be made on-site, of course we are
manufacturing processes are not only time being adopted very strongly in industry right still some-way away from this happening. An
consuming but also result in wastage of now, and that we as a depot need to build example of a venerable aircraft that could
raw materials as they are moulded or milled this capability,” says the top scientist and benefit from advances in 3D printing, is the
to produce the required product. There is engineer at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics USAF’s Boeing B-52 bomber fleet, one of
also the matter of time required for the Complex, Dr. Kristian Olivero. the service’s oldest aircraft fleets and now
process to be ‘Learnt’ as the tooling required in its sixth decade of operational service.
to produce a complex part/item requires Helping Maintain an Aircraft Fleet At some point for such ageing, though
multiple iterations and adjustments before Additive manufacturing is likely to have a constantly upgraded platforms, many parts
delivering the required product. tremendous effect on reducing the logistics are simply not available any more. There
Work has also been underway at United costs for military and civilian operators. A are more and more instances of parts
States Air Force Research Laboratory’s replacement part today, must be purchased, becoming unavailable for ageing aircraft,
Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, stored, transported, shipped and delivered which impacts their maintenance, reduces
which has been involved with the concept aircraft availability and increases the cost of
of additive manufacturing, since the retaining these platforms. Commenting on
emergence of rapid prototyping in the the advances that 3D printing can deliver in
eighties. It was only with the dramatic this space, “The speed of it and the flexibility
advances in laser technology, that 3D of it will very much improve our industrial
printing truly matured as a viable technology base, where we’re repairing aircraft that
in the late 2000s. “This spurred the additive are getting older and older,” Olivero says.
revolution pursued today by the entire “With additive manufacturing, that part may
aerospace industry,” says Dr. Jonathan take a couple of hours to print and you can
Miller, a materials scientist and the additive actually go through five or six iterations in
manufacturing lead for the directorate. days,” Olivero said. “Even if your final part
Calling AM or 3D printing a huge opportunity, is going to be machined, you can print it in
he says, “It allows us to manufacture unique plastic five times to make sure it’s got the
form factors; it provides the opportunity correct geometries, the right tolerances,
to add functionality and capability to the correct interfaces, and then machine the
structures that already exist. Essentially, it final one.”3D printing will also revolutionise
allows us to redefine manufacturing.” The aircraft maintenance for ageing aircraft
potential of 3D printing has already caught as it will allow low production quantities
the eye of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), which of customized parts and unique, complex
is already looking at ways integrate 3-D geometric shapes, that have been out of
printing technology into nearly every aspect production or in short supply.
WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA JANUARY / MARCH 2017 MAINTENANCE REPAIR OVERHAUL 61