A Process That Rapidly Produces Be/Be Alloys in Net Shape at Low Cost Without Exposure of the Workforce

Beryllium and beryllium alloys are strategic to many defense/aerospace applications, but whose use is limited due to current and anticipated more stringent health and safety concerns which result in long lead times for fabrication and very high cost. An innovative approach that reduces fabrication time to a matter of hours to a few days results in low cost and produces net shapes without exposure of the workforce to Be. This paradigm for beryllium fabrication utilizes a melt forming solid free form fabrication process that will be performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) established beryllium facility in coordination with a beryllium fabricator/supplier and two MDA prime contractor system suppliers. Be/Be alloys will be net shape produced and charaterized as well as fabricating a demonstraion mirror and structural components.