Low-Cost Ethernet Encryption Phase II

The Phase II objective is to develop a fully integrated system that fabricates atrialloy structure directly from a CAD solid model and to demonstrate this capabilityby fabricating a trialloy compressor impeller. As described in the Phase I ProposalAbstract, this work will continue to focus on development of the Laser Engineered NetShaping (LENS) process as a method to fabricate an advanced trialloy compressorimpeller for advanced Army turbo shaft applications. Several key issues to beaddressed during this Phase II effort include: developing a model to, based onperformance criterion, define material location and shape to optimize performance,develop a means to use this information to drive the LENS process, develop a robustmethod to control powder composition in real-time, validate model predictions throughmaterial characterization, and perform critical rig tests to validate performance anddurability capabilities of trialloy impellers. Overall, the Phase II effort willdevelop the process and component specific experience base necessary to scale andcommit the technology into new centerline designs where the combination ofperformance and affordability characteristics are demanded by competitive pressures.This will subsequently allow Optomec to secure funding for Phase III commercializationthrough industrial partnerships.