Evaluation of Laser-Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing to Produce Replacement Legacy Aircraft Components

LM Aero evaluated Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Additive Manufacturing (AM) to produce a substitute for an A357-T6 aluminum drag chute frame on the F-16 fighter jet. This consisted of producing several AlSi10Mg proof of concept demonstration articles on different AM machines as well as developing material properties for the AM alternative.

This presentation will discuss the application, potential enhancements that could be introduced with AM, and the mechanical property data developed as well as a comparison of projected design values against those for the baseline cast aluminum material. It will also include lessons learned as part of this study.