The aerospace industry has always led the way in new technologies and fabrication methods. As global competition ramps up, the need to remain cutting-edge is growing, and innovative engineers are constantly finding new ways to cut costs for both the production and end-users. 3D printing, more precisely called additive layer manufacturing, is a relatively new entrant into the field, but it’s revolutionizing how some parts are being created. However, technology advances quickly, and as the additive devices become obsolete, they are usually prohibited from landfills and must be disposed of properly, like almost all electronic waste. This finds aerospace manufacturers needing assistance in electronic recycling and disposition.
What Is Additive Layer Manufacturing?
ALM is best known in popular media as 3D printing. Instead of building parts by molds or lathing – which essentially overbuilds a part and removes unnecessary material – ALM creates them layer by layer, adding substance only as needed. Unlike subtractive manufacturing, a 3D printer has virtually no wasted material. This is a form of direct digital manufacturing, where a design can go straight from CAD to the printing device.
Initially, ALM was used mostly for rapid prototyping and concept development, but new methods have allowed high-tech printers to build parts previously inconceivable using old manufacturing methods. In the aerospace industry, selective laser sintering on a powder-bed is being used to build parts that are directly used in commercial and military aviation as well as spaceflight. Advanced superalloys like Inconel 718 and titanium Ti6Al4V are being used in ALM to print complete jet and rocket engines.
What Are the Advantages of ALM for Aerospace Manufacturing?
Aerospace has an integral problem compared to mass-production manufacturing: they simply can’t achieve the same economies of scale that, for instance, automobiles have. ALM is very well suited for complex, low-volume production; with sophisticated software, each printer can simultaneously build multiple parts as needed. Customization and variation of design become far easier to implement, and any part that proves problematic in the field can be easily redesigned and quickly built. The development time is usually reduced, and spares can be built on-demand or even on-site, while the extremely efficient use of very expensive alloys cuts costs. Perhaps the most incredible advantage is that new designs and geometries can be built by ALM, allowing engineers to design parts optimized for topology rather than clumsy manufacturing processes.
With aerospace constantly undergoing substantial changes to their manufacturing processes, considerable electronic waste is created, and 3D printers are typically illegal to dispose of in landfills. TechWaste is certified to handle all of aerospace’s obsolete or unneeded electronics, including permanently erasing and destroying devices with sensitive data. If you have any questions about how they can help you, call today for free advice.
TechWaste Recycling directly services all of Southern California and provides pickup services to its facilities from nationwide locations. Visit TechWaste Recycling’s website at www.techwasterecycling.com to schedule a pickup that works for your convenience and schedule.
Learn more about TechWaste’s aerospace electronic recycling process here: Aerospace Equipment Recycling and Decommissioning.
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1940 E. Occidental street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 866-637-8469
