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Lockheed Martin Creates Its Largest 3D-Printed Space Part To Date (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the bigger-and-better dept.

Lockheed Martin has finished quality control tests for its largest 3D-printed space part to date: an enormous titanium dome meant to serve as caps for satellite fuel tanks. The component measures four feet in diameter. Engadget reports: Its previous largest qualified space part is an electronics enclosure that's around the size of a toaster. This dome is large enough to seal fuel tanks bigger than humans and, according to Lockheed Martin, big enough to hold 74.4 gallons of coffee or 530 donuts. Glazed, of course.

Titanium is an ideal material for the industry, because it's lightweight and can withstand the harsh conditions of space travel. However, manufacturers end up wasting 80 percent of the material using traditional manufacturing techniques -- plus, each component could take years to build. Rick Ambrose, the company's executive VP, said they were able to cut down the total delivery timeline for a titanium fuel tank dome from two years to an incredibly impressive three months. "Our largest 3D-printed parts to date show we're committed to a future where we produce satellites twice as fast and at half the cost."

7 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. C'mon, what's with the weird units? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gallons wasn't counter-intuitive enough, so we're now measuring space in donuts?

    Glazed, of course.

    Lockheed, are you an engineering factory or a chocolate factory? Do you have skunkworks or Oompa Loompa?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. "manufacturers end up wasting 80 percent" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What do they mean by wasting? Surely they can melt off-cuts down and reuse it?

    1. Re:"manufacturers end up wasting 80 percent" by religionofpeas · · Score: 4, Informative

      Titanium chips from machining are contaminated with coolants and lubricants, as well as foreign materials. Recycling these chips is more expensive than making new titanium.

    2. Re:"manufacturers end up wasting 80 percent" by careysub · · Score: 2

      They are sold as scrap - specifically as scrap to make ferrotitanium which is added to steel to scavenge sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen. The titanium is being used simply as a chemical reagent to purify the steel.

      --
      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
  3. Lockheed and their fuel tanks... by DanDD · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Here we go again

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  4. Recyling titanium by sjbe · · Score: 3, Informative

    While this sounds almost sensible it also kinda sounds like complete hogwash.

    Definitely not hogwash. There are issues of alloy contamination from the cutting tools, oxygen contamination, carbon contamination, and some others. Not necessarily insurmountable problems but not trivial ones either.

  5. Re:Still backwardian by careysub · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This video is what you should look at to find out about the actual size of the object and you can see how it was made. The size is 1.16 meters (46.7 inches, not the 46 given in the press release, they should have rounded up to 47 if they wanted two use two digits of precision).

    It was made by laying down titanium on a rotating platform and fusing it in place. Although you can see it being done in the video how the titanium is applied and what they are using to fuse it is not explained. I'm guessing titanium ribbon and a helium atmosphere arc.

    The lead time they quote for forgings is presumably the time to make the tooling. Additive "printing" processes are good for low production items so that expensive tooling isn't necessary.

    --
    Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj