US-based company for aerospace and defence technologies, Orbital ATK, has successfully completed testing of their 3D printed hypersonic engine combustor at NASA Langley Research Center.
The combustor was created using powder bed fusion (PBF) technology and then subjected to a variety of high-temperature hypersonic flight conditions. According to Orbital ATK’s analysis, the additive manufactured unit met or exceeded all of the requirements tested on.
Pat Nolan, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Missile Products division of the Defense Systems Group said: “Additive manufacturing opens up new possibilities for our designers and engineers. This combustor is a great example of a component that was impossible to build just a few years ago. This successful test will encourage our engineers to continue to explore new designs and use these innovative tools to lower costs and decrease manufacturing time.”
Currently, the company is exploring other additive manufacturing technologies as well, as it allows them to produce complex geometries and assemblies that require multiple components using traditional manufacturing methods.
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