The largest metal 3D printer in the world (print volume of 30’x20’x12’) is being built for the US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (Army-GVSC) and the US Army Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence (Army-Adv Manf COE). In collaboration with the Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America (ASTRO America), the three organizations are working to advance the additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) of large scale, metallic components for vehicle systems. The first phase of the multi-year collaboration will focus on organizing efforts to develop a business case, qualification roadmap, technical insertion plan, and operational plan for exemplar components through partnerships with aerospace and defense lead system integrators. The ultimate goal is to establish how these large scale AFSD systems can be inserted into not just the Army’s, but the defense and aerospace supply chain as a whole. The first phase of this program is focused on elucidating the salient benefits of the capability to reduce production lead times, fabrication costs, and/or improve component performance. In parallel, the team will capture and address the operational, process, and technological obstacles that need to be overcome before production. Additionally, the team will develop processes for qualification of the developed applications. In addition to detailing the focus areas and progress made during the first phase of the collaboration with Astro America, there will be an update on the progress of the development of the two AFSD systems being built for the Army.
Information on general business, technology, and qualification topics will be covered for exemplar components chosen to benchmark the production capabilities of the machines.
Learning Objectives:
- Upon completion, participant will be able to understand some details about additive friction deposition (AFSD), how it scales, and some of the target applications.
- Upon completion, participant will be able to see what can be scaled with AFSD
- Upon completion, participant will be able to see what can be scaled with AFSD
