Additive manufacturing for next generation actuation

Intrinsic to 3D part printing are negligible lead time to production, minimal material usage and unprecedented design flexibility. In a typical Moog hydraulic actuation product, application of suitable metal additive manufacturing processes translates into a shorter development cycle, reduced inventory costs for material, better hydraulic efficiency, weight saving, new repair opportunities and more. Certification questions arise with flight critical actuators though, when applying additive manufacturing to structurally critical parts, where new additive manufacturing standards are needed. The paper starts with an overview of published work on metal additive manufactured parts in flight critical applications. Details of material properties and capabilities for alloys of titanium, steel and aluminum are provided. The paper continues with actuator case studies that provide qualitative and quantitative comparisons between a new metal additive manufacturing design and a subtractive design. This paper follows on with the route to certification for additively manufactured parts. In the short term certification will have similarities with composite structures and require detailed process understanding, process control and capable NDI methods. However, this burden is likely to reduce with improved additive manufacturing machine design. In conclusion, the increased use of additive manufactured parts in flight critical applications appears to be a reality.