#1 Aerospace Manufacturing and Design’s Best of 2021: Qualifying additively manufactured parts

CT scanning, software, and setting process parameters ensure flight readiness of 3D-printed metal parts.

Wall thickness analysis (WTA) on a topology-optimized satellite bracket. The WTA shows the distribution of different wall thicknesses throughout the part.
Wall thickness analysis (WTA) on a topology-optimized satellite bracket. The WTA shows the distribution of different wall thicknesses throughout the part.
All images courtesy Volume Graphics

Qualifying parts for aerospace takes on special significance when parts are 3D-printed. Metals and polymers used to make 3D-printed components are essentially forged on the fly, so there may be questions about material integrity that must be answered comprehensively and scientifically. Especially with flight-critical parts, the technology used to accomplish this task is computed tomography, better known as CT scanning.

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