Organization: Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, AZ
Date: May 2017 – August 2017
Background: Metals additive manufacturing (AM), a rapid prototyping process, was strategically selected by management and subject matter experts to build primary structure for hypersonic flight vehicles, ensuring that engineering performance requirements were met and developed within the boundaries of cost and schedule. Several vehicle components were selected for the AM process based upon geometric complexity and potential for schedule acceleration.
Objective: Manufacture structural-test airframe components for hypersonic flight vehicles for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) missile development programs.
My Position: Manufacturing Engineer
My Role: As an AM subject matter expert and manufacturing technical lead on the program, my responsibility was to write a robust machine tool-code program to build the complex geometry ensuring the code was efficient, adhered to tested and understood processing methods, and produced geometrically accurate hardware. I redesigned airframe components using surface modeling techniques with the goal of generating a machine tool-path program that would yield maximum dimensional accuracy by minimizing distortion. Myself and a team of two technicians monitored the health of several builds, including the longest and most complex build which was a 28-day build (600 hours+) cycle – ensuring the process was free of faults and abnormalities.
Technical Fundamentals: Mechanical Engineering Design, Aerospace Design, Heat Transfer
Skills: Manufacturing and process engineering, quality management, computer-aided design (CAD), project management, and teamwork
Technology Tools: Siemens NX, Materialise Magics, RPM-Innovations 557 Laser System (Powder-Fed Laser-Directed Energy-Deposition AM technology), FARO 6DoF TrackArm laser scanner
Results / Outcome: Completed the first successful build of this size and complexity (geometry and time duration) within the organization. Achieved a part count reduction from 30+ sheet metal parts to one AM part, an eight month schedule acceleration, and more than 50% cost savings.