When you think of product design and development what comes first to mind? Is it an understanding of our business objectives (scope) followed by functional decomposition of requirements and allocating them to various systems and subsystems to achieve that objective? Is it design to manufacture with designers, facility and work center collaboration to assure cost savings through coordinated and producible designs? Or is it early and iterative design validation prior to manufacture? However you view it additive technologies can play a major role in not only better designs but less expensive manufacturing that is quickly gaining mainstream acceptance.

"I believe we’re on the verge of a major breakthrough in design for manufacturing in being able to take something from the concept of something from your mind and translate that into a 3D object and really intuitively on the computer and then take that virtual 3D object and to be able to make it real just by printing it. It’s going to revolutionize design for manufacturing in the 21st century." Elon Musk.

The idea of being able to rapidly generate a prototype to validate solution through a construct of the proposed functionality, interfaces and best case design solutions was unheard of a decade ago. It is becoming the norm along with modified preliminary test to destruct (Highly Accelerated Life Testing or HALT) evaluations with a shortened test parameters based on wear parameters for differences on material properties (e.g. making a prototype of one material to validate testing parameters for another before final production and test. Additionally high quality prototyped in recyclable wax deposited in half thousandths layers using printers like the Solidscape’s R66 Plus can be made for visual evaluation and improvement prior to casting of a final product in titanium.

Once reserved to the fringes of Aerospace in small development labs the results of 3D prototyping are translating into the printing of 3D parts in aerospace applications. December 2013 saw the introduction of 3D printed components created on a BAE Tornado fighter, GE Aviation’s LEAP engine will use 3D parts, and NASA announced the successful development of a 3D printed rocket engine component. Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and GNK aerospace are also investing in additive manufacturing of finished products.

The complete article can be accessed at Product Design & development: http://www.pddnet.com/articles/2014/02/printing-3d-parts-aerospace-applications

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