The production of high-performance heat exchangers for aerospace applications

Additive Manufacturing (AM) of heat exchangers is growing in popularity due to the possibility to produce thin-walled structures with excellent heat-transfer performance. Common aerospace materials are in focus, including titanium, aluminium, and copper alloys.

Along with the opportunities, there are also challenges which are being addressed by suppliers and research institutes.

Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is a key post process that has been used to remove shrinkage porosity and internal defects in cast products for many years, with improved mechanical properties and fatigue resistance. The application of this process to AM thin-walled structures is key to achieve desired properties, with modern HIP technology now offering opportunities for improvement in productivity, processability, and performance.

Recent advancements in HIP equipment offers the ability to perform argon gas quenching as part of the HIP cycle during the processing of thin-walled heat exchanger structures. This technology enables the ability to performed combined HIP and in-situ solution heat treatment (SHT) and aging for improved productivity and mechanical/physical properties. This processing route has also shown to reduce risk of distortion, mitigate corrosion, and improve surface finish for enhanced product quality.

In this presentation, solutions for various aerospace alloys as well as recent results from trials and studies will be discussed.