This will simplify the certification of mass production, improve product quality, and expand the use of 3D printing.
The United Engine Corporation of Rostec State Corporation has implemented a single standard for evaluating equipment for 3D printing of aircraft engine parts for all enterprises. It sets out the general requirements for the purchased installations, which will become part of a single technological platform consisting of interchangeable equipment. This will allow different installations to produce parts using a single technology. The unification of equipment will simplify the certification of mass production, improve product quality, and expand the use of 3D printing in the manufacture of aircraft engine parts.
The standard was developed by the Center for Additive Technologies in cooperation with the UEC divisions and other enterprises of the corporation that actively use 3D printing in the production of products. It is aimed at introducing rules for assessing the compliance of selective laser fusion plants with the criteria of a single technological platform.
The document introduces the basic concepts and criteria for evaluating equipment for 3D printing of metal engine parts. Uniform requirements are established for organizational and constructive software solutions in selective laser fusion installations, in which a laser fuses metal powder layer by layer into a finished part.
Based on the assessment of compliance with the criteria, specialists will decide on the possibility of using the equipment in the mass production of parts for the aviation industry. The highly rated equipment will be integrated into a single technology platform.
"UEC forms a single technological platform, which is a line of additive equipment designed according to a modular principle. Thus, the sites of the UEC enterprises will be equipped with equipment that, regardless of the manufacturer, will have similar characteristics and operating parameters. This will make it possible to use any of the available installations for the manufacture of aircraft engine parts by selective laser fusion. The creation of a universal dimensional line of equipment will facilitate the wider use of 3D printing for the mass production of engine parts," said Valery Teplov, Deputy General Director for Production.
The compliance of selective laser fusion plants with the requirements of the UEC will ensure that manufacturers make regular purchases, and the corporation will be able to form a line of domestic equipment from various manufacturers for manufacturing parts of modern aircraft engines using a single technology. This approach will significantly reduce the cost of material qualification and certification of serial production.
When evaluating the equipment, the specialists will take into account several criteria. First of all, the modularity of the optical system design. This principle assumes the modularity of the "laser-scanner-exposure area" bundle. The exposure zone is the area where the laser affects the powder.
The unity of technological parameters, the possibility of reproducing operating modes at all installations and the level of unification of the preparation of the manufacturing process of the part are also of great importance. This will ensure the portability of modes between the models of the overall equipment range.
When deciding on the purchase of equipment and its inclusion in a single technological platform, the availability and completeness of design and technical documentation for the installation will be checked, the quality management system and the manufacturer's service department will be audited. The installations will be checked for compliance of the declared characteristics with real indicators and evaluation tests of samples manufactured on the equipment.
