材料

NASAbecomes first customer of HRL high strength aluminum 3D printing powder

NASAs马歇尔太空飞行中心(MSFC)在阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔,已成为第一位商业客户7A77 aluminum 3D printing powder,由HRL实验室研究中心。制作材料仅一周后来commercially available,7A77由HRL Addivity出售,这是HRL实验室的新成立的3D打印服装,旨在将粉末提供给航空航天和汽车领域的客户。

Using 7A77, MSFC aims to explore the potential of 3D printing print large-scale components: “Certainly, the 7A77 feedstock powder could unlock the production of large-scale components produced via fusion-based additive manufacturing,” explained Omar Rodriguez of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

HRL实验室7A77 powder for 3D printing high-strength aluminum. Photo via HRL Laboratories.
HRL实验室7A77 powder for 3D printing high-strength aluminum. Photo via HRL Laboratories.

3D打印7A77粉的历史

HRL实验室是由美国跨国车辆制造商共同拥有的研究机构通用汽车, and theBoeing航空公司公司。该中心专门研究微电子,信息和系统科学,材料,传感器和光子学。

自2014年以来,HRL一直在HRL进行7A77铝粉的开发。研究人员着手创建3D可打印版本的AL-7075,这是一种传统上不可用且常用的铝合金,用于高压结构应用。

Al-7075 is known for its high strength, toughness and corrosion resistance, however is not processable with 3D printing due to its susceptibility to embrittlement. By making it compatible with additive manufacturing, the HRL research team sought to expand its applications across high value sectors including aerospace, automotive and oil & gas.

Additively manufactured high-strength aluminum parts. Image via HRL Laboratories.

Three years later, in September 2017, HRL published a paper demonstrating its success in3D打印Al-7075的可焊接版本,它被称为铝7A77.60L。然后,HRL寻求商业化粉末,2019年宣布7A77已成为第一个添加剂制造铝合金在历史悠久的Aluminum Association

Customers are now able to purchase the 7A77 aluminum powder from HRL. It can be used with standard “off-the-shelf” 3D printers, according to the research center. Zak Eckel for HRL Additive comments:“我们的目标是为航空航天和汽车行业以及其他商业客户的HRL LLC成员提供最高质量的粉末。”

在NASA开发大型航空航天组件

Having purchased the 7A77 aluminum feedstock powder, MSFC plans to conduct research around the material with the potential of incorporating it into the production of large-scale aerospace components via fusion-based additive manufacturing. The center will 3D print different sized test parts with the powder before subjecting them to rigorous assessment.

Rodriguez补充说:“印刷测试文章将受到全面的表征制度,扩大了几个长度尺度。”“这项研究工作的最终目标是扩大MSFC的一系列基于融合的添加剂材料。”

“如果在我们的研究努力中取得成功,原料粉可能是计划中的大规模高级制造工厂生产的与航空航天相关的资产的一部分。”

NASAMSFC has a long history of developing additive manufacturing for aerospace. A team from the center recently developed and3D打印了一种新的基于铜的合金,称为GRCOP-42,用于火箭推进组件。MSFC也帮助测试3D printed combustion chamber用于使用铜制造的火箭发动机。

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Featured image shows Aluminum 7A77.60L powder from HRL. Photo via HRL Laboratories.