NIAR to leverage Velo3D’s Sapphire Additive Manufacturing to produce next-gen airframe technologies
September 4, 2024
Velo3D, based in Fremont, California, USA, has announced that the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has purchased a Sapphire 1MZ Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine. The new machine will be used to develop performance-based qualification methods of metal AM parts for airframe applications.
The Sapphire 1MZ will be configured to produce parts in Inconel 718, a durable nickel-based alloy that provides high corrosion, oxidation and creep resistance at extreme temperatures. Inconel is used extensively in aerospace applications.
NIAR is a research organisation that was established at Wichita State University in 1985 to drive innovation in aeronautical applications. The organisation has a $350 million annual budget, a staff of 1,200, and seven locations across Wichita, Kansas, and Huntsville, Alabama. NIAR actively engages with many federal resources and programs to drive innovation in aerospace and defence applications.
“Our team is focused on helping the US identify materials, designs, and techniques that can support the country’s aerospace, defence, and manufacturing industries and we’re glad to work with America’s own metal Additive Manufacturing provider,” said Lauren Tubesing, Business Development Lead, Advanced Manufacturing at National Institute for Aviation Research. “Our organisation is well-known for its work in aeronautical research and by leveraging Velo3D’s solution to better understand the nuisances within the Additive Manufacturing process, we can help build confidence in 3D-printed parts, thereby accelerating adoption of this advanced manufacturing technology.”
The Sapphire 1MZ, with a 315 Ø x 1000 mm build envelope, will be used to identify and validate best practices related to performance-based qualification of additively manufactured parts for airframe applications. NIAR also recently received $10 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials (CECAM), which was established in partnership with the FAA and NIAR in 2004 at Wichita State University.
The FAA funding was granted to NIAR to research advanced materials, focusing on composites and Additive Manufacturing. NASA also awarded the organisation $10 million to support research related to the development and implementation of composites and advanced materials for hypersonic applications, which is another area where Additive Manufacturing is driving innovation.
“Qualifying 3D printed parts for production use is a massive challenge and something that has greatly impeded broad adoption of Additive Manufacturing for commercial aviation applications and it’s great to see a brilliant organisation like NIAR work to solve this,” said Brad Kreger, Velo3D CEO. “The work NIAR will conduct will not only be invaluable to their organisation, but the entire industry. We’re proud to be a part of this effort.”
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