Metal additive, going above and beyond
The space industry is often characterized by complex parts in low volumes, making it an ideal industry to use metal additive. Now, the ready are evaluating how additive can yield benefits like increased part performance, reduced lead-times and reduced costs for space applications.
Case study
Traditional antenna manufacturing consists of complex systems that are large and heavy, which can lead to higher launch costs and inconsistent radio frequency (RF) performance at higher frequency bands. Optisys set out to capture new revenue streams by creating a superior antenna that operates up to a 90-GHz frequency band. They broke even on the machine acquisition just one year after purchasing and saw a 75% reduction in non-recurring costs.
Performance factors:
• 95% weight reduction
• 80% size reduction
Supply chain disruption:
• 100 parts with subtractive manufacturing to one part with additive
• Lead-time reduction: 11 months to two months
Increase payload, launch value
Lower launcher weight will ultimately allow for increased payload weight and increased value for each launch. Weight reduction can be achieved through part consolidation, the use of net-shape, weight-optimized designs, and the use of lightweight metal materials such as titanium.
Increase cost competitiveness
Additive provides opportunities to reduce cost because the need for expensive tooling is eliminated. Other benefits include the possibility to make late changes in the design and reduce unit cost, both beneficial for industries like space that utilize complex products in low volume.
AddWorks™ engineering support
Wherever you’re at on your path to full metal additive production, our team is ready to help you bring new innovation to market faster.
What are AddWorks Workshops?
Learn foundational knowledge and additive strategies in a classroom environment. Workshops typically run three to five days.
What are the Application Sprints?
Get comprehensive support anywhere on your path to production with workshops and training, and/or hands-on consulting with GE’s AddWorks experts.
Powders
We’ve carefully developed our powders to seamlessly fit into the entire GE Additive ecosystem and provide total compatibility with our machines. We provide metal powders, process settings and support for these materials ideal for the space industry:
- Stainless Steels
- Maraging Steel
- Aluminums
- Nickel Alloys
- Titanium
- Cobalt Chrome
