KW Micro Power Creates Lightweight Multifunctional Microturbine Housing with Embedded Cooling Channels
公司规模
11-200
地区
- America
国家
- United States
产品
- nTopology
- VELO3D
技术栈
- Additive Manufacturing
- Conformal Cooling Channels
- Variable Shelling
实施规模
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
影响指标
- Cost Savings
- Innovation Output
- Productivity Improvements
技术
- 功能应用 - 产品生命周期管理系统 (PLM)
- 其他 - 添加剂制造
适用行业
- 航天
适用功能
- 产品研发
- 质量保证
用例
- 添加剂制造
服务
- 软件设计与工程服务
- 系统集成
关于客户
KW Micro Power is a small Florida-based manufacturer specializing in high power density Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for commercial aviation and military applications. The company is known for its innovative approach to designing and manufacturing micro generator products optimized for various use cases. For landbound applications, weight is not a significant concern, but for APUs on board aircraft or drones, lightweighting is a top priority. KW Micro Power aims to stay at the forefront of the industry by adopting cutting-edge solutions and advanced engineering design tools.
挑战
KW Micro Power faced the challenge of reducing the weight of their aerospace-grade Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for commercial aviation and military applications. The primary concern was to make the APUs lightweight without compromising on performance, as every gram counts in aerospace applications. Additionally, they needed to improve the thermal management of their high power density generator to ensure optimal performance and safety. The original CNC machined housing was heavy and did not offer integrated cooling solutions, which posed a significant challenge in achieving their goals.
解决方案
KW Micro Power leveraged nTopology's advanced engineering design tools to redesign the housing of their compact turbogenerator for metal Additive Manufacturing. The team used variable shelling to remove unnecessary material, creating a hollow shell with variable wall thickness. This process reduced the generator housing weight by 44%, from approximately 10.4 kg to 5.9 kg. Additionally, the hollow structure was converted into a conformal cooling channel to improve thermal management. The cooling channels used fuel as the heat transfer medium, preheating it from room temperature to 55°C, which increased the efficiency of the combustion process. The entire redesign process was performed almost instantaneously without errors and took less than a day before the part was ready for manufacturing.
运营影响
数量效益
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