Russian state-owned industrial technology conglomerateRostechas received a license from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade to serially produce aerospace parts using additive manufacturing.
With the license, whichreportedlyallows the production and testing of components for civil airlines, helicopters, and engines, Rostec has become the first Russian company to confirm its competence in deploying mass industrial 3D printing for the aviation sector.
Aerospace 3D printing at Rostec
据报道，Rostec的加性技术中心是俄罗斯最大的3D印刷设备机队，到目前为止，已经掌握了大约450种航空航天零件的生产。
The center was introduced in 2018 after the firmallocated $44.5 million to its development. The center was named after a celebrated inventor and nitrogen chemistry specialist, the VV Chernyshev Center for Additive Technologies (CAC), and was established in cooperation with three other members of Russia’s aviation cluster:Russian Helicopters, engineering firmTechnodinamics, and radio electronic holdingsKRET.
At the time, Rostec’s Industrial Director of the cluster, Anatoly Serdyukov, said “industrial 3D printing is becoming one of the indispensable attributes of modern industry.” Russian Helicopters echoed this view, havingcommitted to advancing additive manufacturingwithin its Ka series helicopter line.
The following year, Rostec’s subsidiaryRuselectronicsannounced it was developing anelectron beam metal 3D printerspecifically geared towards aerospace applications.
Licensing serial production
Rostec’s additive technologies center has now been awarded a license from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade for the mass production of 3D printed aircraft parts. The license enables Rostec to serially produce and test aerospace components for use in civil aviation applications such as aircraft, helicopters, and engines.
According to Rostec, industrial 3D printing can shorten production times of certain aerospace components from six months to just three weeks. The company has also observed weight benefits, with 3D printed parts proving substantially lighter than those that are manufactured by conventional means.
In turn, this allows for increased payloads and carrying capabilities for its aircraft while also improving various other aircraft characteristics. Rostec has already started mass 3D printing parts for the Russian aircraft engine PD-14 developed by the United Engine Corporation. By 2024, the firm’s additive technologies center is expected to produce about 2,000 elements of the engine’s fuel system.
“Aircraft building is one of the most knowledge-intensive industries with increased safety requirements,” said Vladislav Kochkurov, Director General of JSC ATC. “The license confirms compliance with these requirements and allows the production of products in series.
“This is a new important stage in the development of additive technologies and the Russian aircraft industry.”
Serial production for aerospace
虽然航空航天部门利用了3D打印技术的效率，设计和轻巧的好处，但严格safety, regulation and performance requirements关键零件意味着，在许多情况下，该技术的扩展速度很慢，可以扩展到最终用途零件的质量生产水平。
Saying that, in August last year 3D printer manufacturerEOS, industrial 3D printing service providerBaltic3Dand MRO services provider阿提哈德工程announced they were exploring the serial 3D printing of interior aircraft parts. The R&D project will see Baltic3D print thousands of material samples using EOS’ laser sintering technology from which, once certified to be in accordance with aviation standards, prototypes will be printed for aircraft interior part designs.
In-flight entertainment systems developer机舱管理解决方案is also producing series of3D printed components for luxury aircraft, leveragingMarkforged’s3D printing technology to create FAA-compliant parts.
在其他地方，空气分配系统制造商Senior Aerospace BWT已经安装了两个Stratasys Fortus 450mc 3D打印机雷电竞app下载3D print interior aircraft parts对于内部客户，航空公司公司空中客车qualified 3D printing service providerMaterialiseto produceflight-ready components为了飞机。
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特色图片显示Rostec现在licensed for 3D printing-based mass production for the aircraft industry. Photo via Alexander Utkin.
