Page 37 - 3D Metal Printing Spring 2018

Arconic Goes All-In on AM 3D
and parts must meet that criteria.”
With extensive experience in conven- tional processes, Arconic brings that knowledge and technology to bear in AM. For example, Arconic retains an entire set of processes to produce low-residual-
stress forgings.
“We call it Signature Stress Relief forg-
ing,” says Colvin. “Part of that involves
Fig. 3—Arconic has developed its proprietary Ampliforge process, which combines AM with forging to produce large parts using fewer operations, using less material and taking less time. With Ampliforge, optimized 3D-printed preforms undergo final forging.
understanding how the residual stress develops. Thermal processes and our work- ing processes, the microstructure of alloys— all of those relate to residual stress. Residual stress also matters in AM. We can take mod- els for traditional processes and apply them to the additive space for similarly sized parts, which puts us way ahead of the game. But we still have to verify and tweak—we have to prove the model and optimize it for the additive space. So we have a big head start but we are still working at it.”
Long a leader in forging, Arconic has developed its proprietary Ampliforge process, which combines AM with forging to produce large parts using fewer oper- ations, less material and less time. With Ampliforge, Arconic creates an optimized 3D-printed preform that then undergoes final forging. Traditionally, forgers cast an ingot and that stock might be shaped into a cylinder or rectangle, then worked to create an asymmetric shape, or to intro- duce ribs or other features, with additional
work needed to create the final forging. All of this requires multiple operations and a large amount of material shedded throughout. Preforms that closely approx- imate final part shape and contain required material characteristics ease the process considerably.
“We use our forging models to design the optimized preform with the shape and microstructure that we want,” Colvin explains. “Ampliforge results in fewer oper- ations and lower material input into the finished form.”
As Arconic continues researching the economics of the AM process, the com- pany is finding ways to employ AM as a low-cost way to produce larger parts, either through HDR or Ampliforge processes. A cooperative research agree- ment with Airbus is driving development on the HDR end, with the goal to produce aerospace parts to 1 m long.
Material-wise, near-term AM efforts for large parts at Arconic focus on titanium, and that is the material being researched with Airbus. Down the line, Colvin sees multi-material parts and other advances.
“Long-term,” he says, “we think that AM will open up material options, and Arconic is uniquely positioned to address that.” 3DMP
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