Progress and challenges in making an aerospace component with cold spray additive manufacturing

Cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) is a solid-state deposition process capable of producing 3D structures from materials of great interest in aerospace applications. Titanium is a prime example of such a material that can be processed using CSAM at ambient conditions and rates in kilograms per hour. However, given the complexities of aerospace applications and the rigorous standards that components must meet, it is critical to understand the relationship between process parameters, materials microstructure, and the mechanical properties of titanium when using cold spray additive manufacturing. This research used manufacturing, design and materials science concepts to make a titanium aerospace component demonstrator. The project involved an in-depth examination of the material's microstructure, robot toolpath planning, and post-heat treatment to develop a cold-sprayed titanium metal matrix composite with enhanced tensile strength aiming to meet the demands of this particular application. The material's characteristics were used to refine a topology-optimized design through finite element analysis while considering the manufacturing constraints. This presentation will discuss the key findings and challenges in producing the demonstrator part for aerospace applications using CSAM.