FasTech and University of North Dakota explore DED Additive Manufacturing for space

March 7, 2023

The Al 6061 block produced via FasTech’s Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing technology (Courtesy FasTech).
The Al 6061 block produced via FasTech’s Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing technology (Courtesy FasTech).

The University of North Dakota (UND), Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, has been awarded a grant funded by NASA to investigate the potential of metal Additive Manufacturing to produce aluminium components for future lunar exploration. This comes as part of NASA’s initiative of supporting space exploration via partnerships with small businesses and universities to develop metal AM capabilities for the International Space Station (ISS) and future missions.

Dr Sougata Roy, who leads this effort at UND and has selected FasTech, Danville, Virginia, to produce the parts using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, referred to by the company as Arc-Directed Energy Deposition (DED-Arc). FasTech offers AM, conventional manufacturing, and inspection systems as part of its service.

THE WORLD OF METAL AM TO YOUR INBOX
Subscribe to our twice-weekly newsletter
Register now

Aluminium 6061 was selected as the starting material for this project, due to its high strength-to-weight ratio and its compatibility with heat treatment. Fastech additively manufactured a block from the chosen material enabling Dr Roy’s research team to extract coupons for testing and evaluation.

The block was additively manufactured at a deposition rate of 1.5 kg/h, including the inter-layer cooling time. In parallel, samples from Al 6061 powder were additively manufactured utilising laser-based DED (DED-LB) at UND. The lunar dust tolerance of parts via different Additive Manufacturing techniques will be subsequently tested.

FasTech and UND plan to apply this technology and expand their partnership to manufacture aluminium alloys for different engineering sectors.

www.und.edu

www.fastech-engineering.com

Looking for AM machines, metal powders or part manufacturing services?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data
Find suppliers

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Back to the future: A decade of Additive Manufacturing innovation and growth at Materials Solutions
  • Win or lose: A CEO’s reflections on Artificial Intelligence and Additive Manufacturing
  • AMS 2025 New York: A reality check for the Additive Manufacturing industry
  • Optimising powder removal in PBF-LB Additive Manufacturing: A Digital Twin approach
  • ValCUN’s MMD: A robust, wire-based aluminium AM technology for defence and industrial applications
  • Enhancing quality and reliability in metal Additive Manufacturing: The role of laser calibration

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap