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US Navy's NAVAIR to Fly the First 3D Printed V-22 in June

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Sea Air Space 2016 Online Show Daily - 3D Printed V-22
 
 
 
US Navy's NAVAIR to Fly the First 3D Printed V-22 in June
 
By Stelios Kanavakis - Senior Defence Analyst
US Naval Air Systems Command plans to fly the first Bell V-22 Osprey made of 3D printed parts sometime this year, according to its vice commander Rear Adm. Francis Morley. During his speech at the Sea-Air-Space exhibition, he said that the first flight will be the critical test that will prove the value of the technology in manufacturing critical parts.
     
An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 prepares to land onto the Karel Doorman, a Dutch warship, during an interoperability test near Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., June 12, 2015. The unit worked jointly with the Royal Netherlands Navy to perform the first MV-22 Osprey carrier landing aboard a Dutch warship and strengthened the existing partnership between the two countries. Picture: USMC
An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 prepares to land onto the Karel Doorman, a Dutch warship, during an interoperability test near Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., June 12, 2015. The unit worked jointly with the Royal Netherlands Navy to perform the first MV-22 Osprey carrier landing aboard a Dutch warship and strengthened the existing partnership between the two countries. Picture: USMC
     
Elizabeth McMichael, leader of the Additive Manufacturing and Digital Threat Integrated Product Team at NAVAIR, has revealed that the parts to be produced are engine nacelles and link attachments. The engineers have produced these parts in three days using titanium-aluminum alloy (TI-6AI-4V) and they will experiment with the use of stainless steel powde

Nevertheless, one of the core issues in additive manufacturing, apart from the production, is the qualification of the new parts. The latter could even take three months for a part, delaying significantly the whole process. But these trials will provide the necessary insight for the development of the technology and most importantly the development of new methodologies and managerial procedures.

The US Navy has been planning since a couple of years ago to bring additive manufacturing to the fleet while at sea. The service would like the various units to have their 3D printing capabilities to produce spare parts or other items that would otherwise require higher logistical costs and time. In that way, the fleet would increase its self-sufficiency and the availability of its platforms and systems.