Altair > Case Studies > Aeroswift: Revolutionizing Aerospace Industry with Large-Scale 3D Printing

Aeroswift: Revolutionizing Aerospace Industry with Large-Scale 3D Printing

Technology Category

Drones - Multirotor Drones

Applicable Industries

Aerospace
Metals

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Additive Manufacturing
Rapid Prototyping

Services

Drone Operation Services
System Integration

About The Customer

Aeroswift is a project launched by Aerosud, a South African aviation manufacturing solutions provider, and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The project was initiated in 2011 with the aim of unlocking the potential of the growing additive manufacturing (AM) industry, improving market competitiveness, and providing South Africa with a unique competitive edge in metal AM. Aeroswift is known for its new generation of metal additive manufacturing (AM) system with a bigger build volume than ever before. The Aeroswift printer is capable of building large-scale 3D printed metal aircraft components in many metals, including titanium alloy, which is widely applied in the industry due to its combination of high performance and low weight.

The Challenge

The South African aviation manufacturing solutions provider Aerosud and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) launched a challenging 3D printing project, Aeroswift, in 2011. The project aimed to unlock the potential of the growing additive manufacturing (AM) industry, improve market competitiveness, and provide South Africa with a unique competitive edge in metal AM. The challenge was to build a large metal Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) frame on the Aeroswift printer, while improving the buy-to-fly ratio and reducing development time and waste. The Aeroswift system was capable of printing much larger parts than ever before, and ten times faster than any other commercially available laser melting machine. However, to fully utilize its capabilities, Aeroswift needed a methodology for designing large additively manufactured products.

The Solution

Aeroswift collaborated with Altair to develop a methodology for designing large additively manufactured products. They used Altair Inspire, a software that enabled engineers to design a large UAV frame for manufacture on the Aeroswift machine. The design process included UAV flight requirement specifications, electronic component and drivetrain selection, mechanical design employing topology optimization techniques, aesthetic improvements, and manufacturability improvements. The engineers phased their topology optimization approach by running a first step optimization with increased branch sizes, to reduce the computational complexity in finding primary load paths. This process produced the thickness boundaries which encompassed the optimal design. The Aeroswift team then recreated the resulting geometry and ran a second stage topology optimization with thinner branches. This process transformed a very basic design into a topology optimized design suitable for metal AM.

Operational Impact

The collaboration between Aeroswift and Altair resulted in a successful design and manufacture of a large UAV frame on the Aeroswift machine. The use of Altair Inspire and its topology optimization capabilities in the design process improved manufacturability while meeting all component requirements. The final design met all the UAV frame requirements, including frame weight, thrust to weight ratio, and flight time, all while maintaining frame stiffness. The final design showed even better results than initially expected, demonstrating the full potential of additive manufacturing in the Aerospace Industry. The project has not only showcased the manufacturing scope and capabilities of the Aeroswift printer but also provided a unique competitive edge to South Africa in the field of metal additive manufacturing.

Quantitative Benefit