Case-studies
AURORA LIQUID ENGINE
AddUp has chosen to support the Estaca (Higher School of Aeronautics and Automotive Engineering) in the additive manufacturing of a regenerative cycle space engine, in inconel 718. This project, called “Aurora Liquid Engine“, is being carried out in partnership with engineers from ArianeGroup and Air Liquide, and its objective is to demonstrate the relevance of PBF technology (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) for the aerospace sector.
HEAT EXCHANGER
Metal additive manufacturing is relevant for thermal equipment. It allows to create channels with complex shapes, thus improving thermal performance while reducing the volume. This heat exchanger has thin walls (250 µm) and double curvature channels that are impossible to produce by conventional techniques.
CAMERA SUPPORT
Metal3D“ is a mission commissioned by ESA (European Space Agency) as an technology demonstrator. Its objective is to characterise the mechanical properties of a material shaped in microgravity. To carry out this experiment, two batches of test specimens are being produced by the same printer design. While the first batch will be produced in Toulouse in terrestrial gravity, the second will be built in space, more precisely in the Columbus module of the ISS (International Space Station), in microgravity.
ORNMENT (DS-LOUVRE)
As part of a partnership with the prestigious Louvre Museum (Paris – France), DS Automobile wanted to develop its DS line by producing a limited edition car, the “DS7 CROSSBACK – Louvre Edition“. This prestigious car is a product marked by innovation and art, DS Automobile has decided to use metal additive manufacturing to produce parts with complex designs, in close collaboration with AddUp, and its FormUp 350 machine.
COLD PLATE
In the race for electrification, among the issues is the cooling of electronic components. The challenge is twofold because the weight of the vehicle must also be as low as possible. Currently, the cold plates are made with two half aluminum alloy shells enclosing a curved copper alloy tube. The result is a heavy design with loss of heat transfer between the half shells and the tube, with a risk of loss of waterproofing.
PROTOTYPE MOLD
In the shoe industry, molds for the Direct Injecting Process are used in higher-end manufacturing. Direct injection is primarily used to bond the sole of a shoe to
the upper, without the need for adhesives. The uppers positioned and a molten material (normally a polymer) is forced into the mold cavity. During this process, the sole attaches to the upper in a single operation.
STATIC MIXER
The static mixer is a complex part to produce in traditional manufacturing with many parts welded together with a high risk of leakage.
The part consists of 72 rising and falling vanes in 4 blocks and 2 orientations at 90°. The fins are located in a regulated tube for better thermal homogeneity.
HYDRAULIC MANIFOLD
Weight reduction is getting more and more important in aeronautics for economical and environmental reasons. In the meantime, the market is eager for innovation and rise of performances. Using powder-bed fusion technology (L-PBF) to obtain a part with low weight and high mechanical characteristics.
Designed by Safran, the part is 253 mm high, printed on a FormUp®350 machine with medium powder TA6V 5-25 μm, in the context of the SOFIA project.
MILL SERVICE
In the mill industry, cutting dies are inserted into a mill in several segments.
Due to the permanent and continuous cutting process, the edges of the cutting contours are subjected to wear that keeps coming. This leads to increased production costs and downtime for repair and replacement of the segments. In addition, corrosive media and acids stress the cutting contours from corrosive Steel.
