3D Printing Technology Injects New Kinetic Energy Into Aerospace Fluid Power

Not long ago, Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology praised the Sixth Academy: the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center of the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, which broke through the full process technology of 3D printing in the field of aerospace fluid power, and realized the 3D printing and molding of more than 500 kinds of complex precision components.

3D printing technology (additive manufacturing technology) is a manufacturing technology that uses metal powder and metal wire as raw materials to achieve the integrated molding of components through layer by layer printing and stacking molding. Compared with the traditional manufacturing method, 3D printing technology has flexible design, short development cycle and high material efficiency.

The engine is the "heart" of the rocket. The aerospace liquid rocket engine needs difficult to add materials such as temperature and titanium alloys. The design structure is complex and the technological process is long. The urgent need for lightweight, low-cost and rapid development is in line with the characteristics of 3D printing. Especially, with the improvement of the design performance of aerospace liquid rocket engine, to ensure its functionality, the products designed are more and more complex and refined, which are realized by traditional technology.

The Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group has been constantly exploring ways to apply additive manufacturing technology to the development of liquid power products. In March 2017, the Company was approved by the State Administration of Science and Technology for National Defense to be listed as "Innovation in Additive Manufacturing of Aerospace Special Components".

The center uses 3D printing for fast speed, performance, overall production and manufacturing of complex components, breaks through the limitations of traditional manufacturing technology from the fundamental level of forming principle, focuses on solving the problems of "urgent, difficult, dangerous, heavy and new" parts and components in the development of aerospace liquid power, and significantly improves the product qualification rate, manufacturing process and reliability, realizing the upgrading of aerospace liquid dynamic manufacturing technology.

In the mission of "Zheng V" to carry the "arrow", the two outlet tubes of a certain type of engine became the key research object due to the low qualification rate of production. China has broken through a series of key technologies such as the laser selective basic forming (SLM) of aerospace special materials, overall 3D printing of products, and material performance regulation, successfully prepared the two outlet tubes, and realized the demonstration of 3D printing in China to ensure that 96. The task was successfully completed.

At present, the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology has mastered the forming and post-processing control process of 23 brands in 5 categories, including titanium alloy, superalloy, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, copper alloy, covering more than 70% of common liquid power materials, and has overcome more than 30 key technologies, including lightweight design of additive manufacturing, laser melting and forming of micro structure, realized 3D printing and forming of more than 500 kinds of complex precision components, and successfully participated in more than 70 launches and flight tests, It has also achieved a number of technical achievements and won 8 provincial and ministerial awards, including the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

It is understood that, focusing on the field of liquid power and the future development needs of aerospace equipment, the Sixth Academy and Xifa are making every effort to promote the industrialization of additive manufacturing, "We are gradually forming an advanced production pattern of 'main line, four regions, double circulation, three platforms', and strive to build Zhongli into a domestic and international famous intelligent aerospace liquid power additive manufacturing industrialization center, making greater contributions to the high-level self-reliance and new achievements of aerospace science and technology." Yang Huanqing, director of the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center of Xifa, said.

Ma Huzhen, reporter of Huashang Daily (picture provided by the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group)