Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) (
www.niar.wichita.edu) has purchased a new ‘professional grade’ metal additive-manufacturing (AM) system.
The US-built RPM Innovations 222 is based on powder-fed laser metal-deposition technology, with a rotary table for cladding or building around a shaft.
Paul Jonas, NIAR director of special programmes, said: “AM has advanced dramatically in the last decade and permeated just about every business sector.
The new RPM system will enhance our capacity for prototyping, tool development and AM research.”
NIAR undertakes industry-funded structural testing of AM materials and parts, and it works directly with multiple standards organisations in the development of guidelines to standardise materials, processes and quality.
NIAR is currently working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to develop the procedures and methodology necessary to include polymer AM materials in the NCAMP (National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance) shared materials database.
When this database is completed (in about a year), manufacturers will be able to obtain ‘design allowables’ for polymer-based AM materials, making these more economical and efficient to use in aerospace applications.