L3Harris Technologies has improved its use of additive manufacturing for parts used in air-breathing hypersonic engines. By refining these 3D-printing processes, the company can now produce some propulsion components up to ten times faster than before, helping speed up development and testing.
The work is being done under a Department of War Manufacturing Technology Program contract through Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, which aims to develop a prototype solution for the Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) challenge.
“Under GAMMA-H, we have been identifying materials, equipment and processes capable of building these propulsion systems at scale,” said Scott Alexander, President, Missile Propulsion, Missile Solutions, L3Harris. “The new equipment and processes we’ve developed have enabled us to reduce the time it takes to 3D-print components by a factor of 10 resulting in higher production rates and lower costs.”
Large-format additive manufacturing, robotics, autonomous machines and equipment, combined with optimized processes, will result in an end-to-end scramjet propulsion manufacturing capability that does not rely on an extensive supply chain.
“We are building the foundation for a factory of the future that will enable us to start with just powdered metal and quickly produce a complete propulsion system,” added Alexander. “By combining steps and simplifying 3D-printing processes, we have reduced the need for expensive and time-consuming machining and post-print processing.”
L3Harris delivers a broad range of capabilities to support hypersonic applications, including ramjets, scramjets, solid rocket motors, warheads, advanced sensors and other missile defense technologies.
Read more: Boom on how to de-risk AM and the technology’s opportunity in supersonic flight’s extreme conditions
*We curate insights that matter to help you grow in your AM journey. Receive them once a week, straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
