Cranfield University claims to have produced the biggest 3D-printed metal part till date

<p>Cranfield University has claimed that they have produced the biggest single metal 3D-printed part to date. The current record is held by Oak Ridge National Laboratory who built a trim and drill tool for a Boeing 777X passenger jet measuring 17.5ft x 5.5ft x 1.5ft.<br /><br />The University&rsquo;s AM programme has produced a six-metre-long, 300-kg, double-sided spar from aerospace-grade aluminium on Cranfield&rsquo;s new 10-metre metal 3D printer. The students have used Cranfield&rsquo;s own Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process to make this part. The printer would soon be upgraded to make titanium parts.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.alcircle.com/uploads/images/Cranfield-U-big-3DP-piece-with-students.jpg" alt="News" width="517" height="226" /><br />According to Cranfield experts, WAAM is the most suitable process for the printing of large structural components for the aerospace sector. It is also suitable for the oil and gas, automotive and energy sector equipment parts.<br /><br />Commenting on the achievement, Professor Stewart Williams, Head of Cranfield&rsquo;s Additive Manufacturing programme said, &ldquo;Hundreds of millions of pounds are spent on medium to large-scale components by the aerospace industry each year&hellip;There is great potential for significant cost savings in terms of waste and production efficiency if we can transform the way these parts are manufactured. This demonstration clearly shows the potential of the WAAM process with this newly-acquired machine for changing future manufacturing processes.&rdquo;<br /><br />{googleAdsense}<br /><br />The record breaking size spar was designed by students as an experiment to test the capability of the new WAAM machine and to assess the challenges of printing such a large structure. The team found out that WAAM can make about 70% of cost savings in comparison to the traditional machine-from-solid process. The process can cut lead time from about a year to just a few weeks.<br /><br />Cranfield is working on the WAAM process in collaboration with 20 industry partners and 13 further universities to explore its commercial viability. The AM programme at Cranfield is made up of 30 people and a portfolio of around 70 projects. The team is working with large aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to help the aviation industry find a more sustainable manufacturing process solution.&nbsp;</p>