Development of an Additive Manufacturing Process for a New Powder Targeting the Size and Location of the Structure in a Fixed-Wing Aircraft Engine

PROJECT COST:

426 137 $

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

235 337 $

PROJECT DETAILS:

The cost of metal additive manufacturing parts remains high due to the use of powders with very narrow specifications required to ensure optimal performance. These powders are expensive, limiting the range of their applications. Significant cost savings could be achieved by maintaining the same quality standards using powders with coarser characteristics. However, implementing such a change is challenging, as the process is highly sensitive to powder properties and would require a paradigm shift.

Changing the powder type requires an extensive development process involving parameter optimization and detailed analyses. The industrial partner of the project (AP&C) is capable of producing a wide variety of powders to identify the characteristics most suitable for enhancing printing performance, process reproducibility, and part quality, while ensuring a thorough cost-benefit analysis associated with such a change.

This project will define the necessary modifications to the printing process to enable the use of powders with a wider particle size distribution than the current standard, without compromising the quality of the produced parts. Through close collaboration between a Quebec-based powder producer, an experienced Korean printer, and a Quebec characterization center, the project will identify the required adjustments to manufacture aerospace-quality components using new, less expensive powder types. The outcomes are expected to reduce costs, develop expertise in both powder production and advanced characterization, and train qualified personnel in a high-demand field.