• Home
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Your news
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Defence Blog
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Land
  • Air
  • Naval
  • Missiles
  • Security
  • Photo
  • News
  • About Us
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Land
  • Air
  • Naval
  • Missiles
  • Security
  • Photo
  • News
  • About Us
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Defence Blog

U.S. Air Force installed first 3D printed part on an operational F-22

22:50 (GMT+0000) January 18, 2019
in Aviation, News
U.S. Air Force installed first 3D printed part on an operational F-22

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mary Greenwood

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The U.S. ir Force has announced that a 574th Aircraft Maintenance Sqaudron maintainer installed the first metallic 3D printed part on an operational F-22 Raptor.

According to a statement, the new titanium 3D printed part will not corrode and can be procured faster and at less cost than the conventionally manufactured part.

The use of 3D printing is not new to the Air Force. The service has routinely used 3D printing for legacy aircraft requiring parts that may be out of production due to manufacturing obsolescence. 

However, 3D printing is becoming more common place in the Air Force’s supply chain when it comes to its fifth-generation aircraft. In December, a metallic 3D printed part was installed by 574th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainers on an operational F-22 Raptor during depot maintenance here.

“One of the most difficult things to overcome in the F-22 community, because of the small fleet size, is the availability of additional parts to support the aircraft,” said Robert Lewin, 574th AMXS director.

A new metallic 3D printed bracket alongside the aluminum part it will replace on an F-22 Raptor during depot repair at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Jan 16, 2019. Photo by Ronald Bradshaw

The use of 3D printing gives maintainers the ability to acquire replacement parts on short notice without minimum order quantities. This not only saves taxpayer dollars, but reduces the time the aircraft is in maintenance.

The printed bracket will not corrode and is made using a powder bed fusion process that utilizes a laser to build the part layer by layer from a titanium powder. A new bracket can be ordered and delivered to the depot for installation as quickly as three days.

The printed part replaces a corrosion-prone aluminum component in the kick panel assembly of the cockpit that is replaced 80 percent of the time during maintenance.

“We had to go to engineering, get the prints modified, we had to go through stress testing to make sure the part could withstand the loads it would be experiencing – which isn’t that much, that is why we chose a secondary part,” said Robert Blind, Lockheed Martin modifications manager. 

The part will be monitored while in service and inspected when the aircraft returns to Hill AFB for maintenance. If validated, the part will be installed on all F-22 aircraft during maintenance.

“We’re looking to go a little bit further as this part proves itself out,” said Blind. 

The printed titanium bracket is only the first of many metallic additive manufactured parts planned through public-private partnerships. There are at least five more metallic 3D printed parts planned for validation on the F-22.

“Once we get to the more complicated parts, the result could be a 60-70 day reduction in flow time for aircraft to be here for maintenance,” said Lewin.

This will enable faster repair and reduce the turnaround returning the aircraft back to the warfighter.

* If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Tags: USA

Trending Now

U.S. Marine Corps upgrades its Utility Task Vehicles
Maritime Security

U.S. Marine Corps upgrades its Utility Task Vehicles

Dec 11, 2019

The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command has reported that Utility Task Vehicles are undergoing several upgrades designed to improve...

Read more
Lockheed Martin successfully tested its next-generation long-range missile

Lockheed Martin successfully tested its next-generation long-range missile

Dec 11, 2019
U.S. Air Force awards contract to Korean Air Lines for A-10 aircraft support

U.S. Air Force awards contract to Korean Air Lines for A-10 aircraft support

Dec 10, 2019
U.S. Army conducted simultaneous intercept multiple threats during flight test

U.S. Army conducted simultaneous intercept multiple threats during flight test

Dec 13, 2019
Lockheed Martin’s experts details laser weapon program

Lockheed Martin’s experts details laser weapon program

Dec 13, 2019

Most Read

Leaked photos show new U.S. Army super cannon in stunning detail

South Korean Air Force releases video showing F-35 striking North Korea’s latest missile system

U.S. Air Force installed first 3D printed part on an operational F-22

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ‘harassed’ by 20 Iranian small craft

Ankara threatens to close down U.S. Air Force base in Turkey

Top Headlines

U.S. Army awards BAE Systems with $249M to build and deliver M109A7 howitzers
Army

U.S. Army awards BAE Systems with $249M to build and deliver M109A7 howitzers

Dec 14, 2019

The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a $249,1 million to contract for the self-propelled howitzers, according to a statement...

Read more

U.S., Czech Republic agree to sale of H-1 helicopters

Northrop Grumman marks delivery of 1,000th Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile

Lockheed Martin’s experts details laser weapon program

U.S. Army conducted simultaneous intercept multiple threats during flight test

South Korean Air Force releases video showing F-35 striking North Korea’s latest missile system

Leaked photos show new U.S. Army super cannon in stunning detail

U.S. Army awards new contracts for combined-arms squad prototypes

Veteran Jobs

Find Veteran-Friendly Jobs. Search the largest free Veteran Job board to find jobs with veteran-friendly companies.
  • Got a news tip for our reporters?
  • Subscribe to newsletter
  • Found a typo? Please let us know!
Privacy and Cookie Policy

© 2014 - 2019 The Defence Blog

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Land
  • Air
  • Naval
  • Missiles
  • Security
  • Photo
  • News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2014 - 2019 The Defence Blog

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In