This ramjet engine designed by Velo3D Applications Development Engineer, Jay Blake, was developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin to demonstrate the industrial maturity of emerging in-situ process monitoring capability in the latest generation of laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing (AM) systems. It is designed for small unmanned reusable or nonreusable aircrafts flying at supersonic speeds. This display piece was printed on a 1-meter-tall Sapphire XC 1MZ in Inconel®718 as a solid piece without supports.
It was made possible with funding through LIFT, the Detroit-based national manufacturing innovation institute, in partnership with the Department of Defense.
Challenging Traditional Manufacturing
One of the major challenges in traditional manufacturing is achieving high aspect ratio structures while ensuring performance and efficiency gains. While studying this design, there was potential performance gain in using the fuel as a heat sink to manage aerodynamic heating while delivering hotter fuel to the combustor. Research suggested a performance increase by injecting bleed air into the wake of the flame holder, reducing parasitic drag while maintaining combustion efficiency.
Applying Velo3D’s Advanced Metal Additive Manufacturing Technology
With Velo3D technology, our engineer was able to incorporate these performance and efficiency features with great dimensional accuracy despite the design’s intricate internal channels. This part demonstrates the incredible benefits of AM including component consolidation, rapid prototyping, and complex internal architecture which would not be manufacturable with traditional manufacturing technology.
The Velo3D Fully Integrated Metal Additive Manufacturing Solution
Velo3D is at the forefront of innovation, pioneering an integrated advanced metal AM solution that combines pre-print design, advanced printing hardware, and in-situ quality assurance, all unified into one intelligent system. Our solution is built for reproducible, predictable outcomes for scalability without compromising design complexity or functionality.
By leveraging advanced metal AM, defense organizations can spearhead the advancement of critical part design that will drive our military into the future and create more agile supply chains. Engineering teams can discover new avenues for efficiency and performance in key components of engine systems.
For more details about Velo3D in India contact Sarto Electro by sending an email to to [email protected]
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