Additive Metals

Additive Metals

Blake Slaughter May 11th, 2010

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EOT_RT_template.ppt | 1/6/2009 | 1

Possibilities

Increased Deposition Rate

Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

Decreased Resolution Copyright © 2009 Boeing. All rights reserved.

EOT_RT_template.ppt | 2

Our Role Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

Foster and harvest the most appropriate technologies available to meet the current and future needs of the customer…the most appropriate technology…not the newest…not the most interesting…the most appropriate.

Copyright © 2009 Boeing. All rights reserved.


Requirements for new technology acceptance Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

Obvious, but too often forgotten: • • • • •

Potential benefits must outweigh risks Statistically significant data Predictable performance Proven history Stable supply base Greatest Challenge: Keep these folks sleeping well at night

Strengths


Supplier Management / Procurement EOT_RT_template.ppt | 4

Combating the lack of history, data, and supply base Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology Target these applications first. Grow confidence level, data populations, and supply base. Help out highly motivated customers. Then focus on higher rate applications, progressively prove the technology in a production environment.

Component Volume

Finally, focus on full-rate production.

Dev.

LRIP

Full Production

Secondary Sales

Aging Aircraft Support

Time Time



Current Status Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

Total information Boeing has access to - Information covered by NDA/PIA - Information deemed ITAR restricted by U.S. Government - Information that is strategically sensitive to Boeing = Well, not much… In General: • Great Potential is still seen for these technologies • Significant Challenges Exist • At least one system exists – or will exist soon – which can change spot size within a layer (very important development) • Boeing customers are showing an increased interest in Additive Manufacturing. • Commercial has utilized Additive Manufacturing to produce metallic nonstructural interior components. • Airbus shows a significant commitment to Additive Manufacturing, and based on Duncan (tct 17/3) we have similar views on additive manufacturing. However, our timelines and approaches differ somewhat. Copyright © 2009 Boeing. All rights reserved.


Challenges Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

For these technologies to be adopted, we must be capable of the following: 1) PRODUCE the geometries of interest.

Full Rate Applications

2) PREDICT the performance of the component Early Lifecycle Applications

P R O D U C E

P R E D I C T


Late Lifecycle Applications

P R O V E

3) PROVE that any individual component will perform as predicted P R O C U R E

4) PROCURE components at sustainable rates for the lifecycle of the platform


Challenges Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

• • • • •

Lack of data from limited study Small supply base Each process is unique and largely unstudied Each component has a unique heat and stress profile Compromise: Resolution or Deposition Rate and Build Size • Lack of study leads to speculation, rumor, and misinformation • Abundance of material systems still to be studied • No extensive proven history



Challenges – Material Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

Can Additive Manufacturing lower buy-to-fly and benefit the environment? Yes, however… …it requires the recycling and possible refreshing of metal powders, and associated challenges. …we need to stop investing significant energy and funds converting material into mill product, only to turn it back into a form that more closely resembles its original form. Chemistry is targeted for the mill form, not the powder form

Ti Sponge Copyright © 2009 Boeing. All rights reserved.

Energy

Energy

Cost

Cost High Value Mill Product

“Lower Value” Powder EOT_RT_template.ppt | 9

Challenges – Finish, Inspection, Cost, & Performance Relationship Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

•The most complex challenge facing the industry –Strong relationship between the finishing of the component, our ability to inspect the component, what the component will cost, and its fatigue performance. –Most of our understanding of fatigue performance is based on surface finishes of wrought or cast processing. These processes inherently have “better” surfaces than most of the deposited technologies at their current maturation. –Boeing recently conducted HCF testing on thin-walled deposited Inconel 625 in the as-deposited condition at RT and Elevated temperatures. This testing showed a RT Kt of ~3.



Challenges – Finish, Inspection, Cost, & Performance Relationship Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

Example Questions: Can we finish an as-deposited component with a 800+ Ra to a 125 Ra? Sure. Will it be easy to inspect? Absolutely. Does it make economic sense? Can we compensate for the surface finish with increased component bulk? Sure. Can we develop reliable inspection methods? Possibly. Does the increased component weight make sense over the life of the platform? Is the as-deposited surface rough? Yes. Were we all educated that imperfections on the surface are detrimental to performance? Yes. Does that mean that the deposited surfaces will perform as badly as they look? Maybe not. We have to rely on evidence and avoid the “+/-0.005” and “63 Ra” traps.



Challenges – The drive for net-shape components Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

The obvious long term goal of additive manufacturing is to produce net-shaped components. However, until we can deposit net-shaped, cost-effective, and dimensionally acceptable components with usable as-deposited surfaces, the following will be true: • As components become more near-net, the savings associated with reduced buyto-fly will be to some degree eroded by ever-increasing finishing costs related to locating the surface and the skill required to remove minimal amounts of material. • The material needed to account for dimensional inaccuracy and surface roughness in the as-deposited component will dictate that the component not be deposited in the “net” condition. In our collective pursuit of “net” components, we run the risk of creating an environment where evolutionary steps drive component cost ever higher with true net-shape as some unattainable asymptote. Business cases and requirements must be carefully evaluated, and revolutionary change is needed.



Challenges – Stress and Distortion Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

• With few exceptions, deposited structures carry large amounts of residual stress, distortion, or a combination. • Components that look near-net do us little good if they are geometrically out of tolerance. •Deposition technologies are very unique, and do not lend themselves to traditional modeling techniques •Recent efforts to utilize quiet elements and element birth/death in FEA seem promising (e.g.: Junejo 2006) •The more control we have over distortion and stress, the more ability we will have to drive buy-to-fly ratios to unity.



Challenges – True business cases Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

While not a technically complex aspect of additive manufacturing, it is definitely one of the most complex and guarded issues related to additive manufacturing. • There are a number of examples where additive manufacturing has produced a business case showing a savings compared to a conventional manufacturing process, only to have the conventional manufacturing supplier suddenly offer deep discounts. •Is this harmful? No. Generally it is called Capitalism, and the OEMs do benefit from it. •The danger comes when the bourgeoning Additive Manufacturing industry makes strategic plans based on the perceived – rather than the actual - business environment. – E.g.: Backlog component of lead-time, profit margin component of cost



Conclusion Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

• A great deal of potential for the technologies • The potential has been well demonstrated (i.e.: lots of pretty parts) • Focus needs to shift to realizing assumptions and tackling challenges (e.g.: low cost input material, repeatability, characterization, stress and distortion control, inspection methods) • Additive Metals have established their ability to address niche markets, but we shouldn’t count on this base to support the industry. We should work to enable these technologies for main stream acceptance.



ASTM International Committee F42 Engineering, Operations & Technology | Boeing Research & Technology

• Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies • Subcommittees: F42.01 Test Methods F42.02 Processes F42.03 Materials F42.04 Design F42.90 Executive F42.91 Terminology

• We have a huge task ahead of us, but we need to begin somewhere. • Greatly encourage those who are interested to join and help. Copyright © 2009 Boeing. All rights reserved.


