Optimized Additive Manufactured Aircraft Structure

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is being proven inside and outside of the Air Force for small components. With metal parts being printed, tested and installed, the advantages of AM continue to show value for design complexity when compared to traditional manufacturing technologies, and will be on full display with the Agility Prime logistics technology thrust. The long-term mission of our proposed effort is to produce full scale, mission configurable ORB/eVTOL airframes, incorporating lightweight, high strength optimized designs, now possible using Big Metal Additive proprietary technology. In Phase I we propose to create an optimized conceptual design, produce a section of that full-scale design and validate material performance through metallurgical analysis and dynamic fatigue testing. While metal AM is a powerful method to solve complex problems, most current USAF AM methods suffer in size, dimensional tolerance and surface finish. The Big Metal Additive solution addresses all three of these issues, helping to drive the entire Agility Prime program forward, faster. Colorado School of Mines, proven and trusted by the DoD, partners on this proposal bringing world class scientific depth to the effort, increasing confidence toward acceptance.