Additive manufacturing for the aerospace industry
The basic patent for LPBF, the metallic 3D printing process developed at Fraunhofer ILT, forms the basis for today's prototype construction and production of functionally optimized components in the aerospace industry. With it, development cycles can be drastically shortened. The path from CAD model to prototype now only takes a few days – which used to take several months – while reducing costs at the same time. Design engineers have more freedom and can test different variants in parallel.
"Wherever tailor-made, highly complex components are required, additive manufacturing can fully exploit its advantages in terms of flexibility," explains Dr. Tim Lantzsch, head of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion Department at Fraunhofer ILT. "In the aerospace industry, additive manufacturing offers enormous opportunities to optimize components while reducing weight and material usage."
Fraunhofer ILT is also continuing to develop LPBF for copper materials, another example of how the institute is advancing additive manufacturing (AM) for the industry. Since it has such high thermal conductivity, copper is ideal for components that have to withstand extreme thermal loads, such as combustion chambers in rocket engines.
The LPBF team at Fraunhofer ILT has extended the process limits for copper alloys by specifically using green laser radiation to process GRCop42 (CuCrNb). With this development, they can produce high-density, thin-walled structures with optimized thermal management. Such structures have a decisive advantage for space applications, which require durable components manufactured more efficiently and at reduced costs.
LMD is another established AM process for manufacturing components with high precision and optimum material properties. In the ENLIGHTEN project (European iNitiative for Low cost, Innovative & Green High Thrust ENgine), LMD is used to manufacture components with optimized topology, reduced weight and maximum resilience. "The special thing is that we are significantly improving the speed and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing new generations of rocket nozzles thanks to the diverse possibilities of LMD technology. Apart from its large installation space, the design under investigation has exceptionally filigree and thin-walled cooling channels, which can only be manufactured with conventional production routes at great expense," explains Dr. Thomas Schopphoven, head of the Laser Material Deposition Department at Fraunhofer ILT.
LPBF is also increasingly being used to manufacture structural aircraft components that have high strength, but need less material. This process enables users to produce lightweight components that improve the efficiency of modern aircraft. In addition, AM contributes to the efficient repair and maintenance of aerospace components. With LMD, damaged components can be replaced in a targeted manner – an important step towards lean supply chains, sustainability and cost reduction.
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT
