3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / 3D Printing Metal / Reducing Weight of Metal Parts with Additive Manufacturing

Reducing Weight of Metal Parts with Additive Manufacturing

November 7, 2016

A Spanish digital solutions company called Atos and the well known Belgian 3D printing service Materialise joined forces to show the potentials of metal printing. Where better to do this than in the aerospace industry? To prove the potential of the AM technology, they chose to improve a mounting piece that is generally used to attach heavy and large structures to satellites. These kind of components are mechanically heavily burdened and are usually made of solid titanium or aluminium. A unique opportunity for Atos and Materialise to produce a similar to better functioning component 3D printed with a hollow structure.

AM Produced Mounting Piece For Satellite Nearly 70% lighter

3d printed titanium aerospace part

HRL-Laboratories-3d-printed-aluminum
Related Story
3D Printed Aluminum Alloy Registered by GM Subsidiary

By applying topology optimization and by working with so called lattice structures in the mounting piece, Atos and Materialise were able to reduce the weight per component by nearly 70%. The old component weighs 1454 gram, the new component made with additive manufacturing weighs only 500 gram. A hollow inside of the new component (only possible because of AM production) made this enormous drop in weight possible. The strength of this lighter weighing component is partly due to its lattice structure. The design also contributes to a better performance of the part as a whole. Materialise produced the parts with one of their metal 3D printers. The material they used for this is titanium. Titanium is known to be the best performing metal for AM technology. There is no any other technology better capable of manufacturing with titanium than 3D printing can do at the moment.

lettuce structure 3d metal printing

About a year ago, Materialise opened a special metal printing plant in Bremen (Germany) to facilitate the aerospace industry. The Bremen branch is now the competence centre of Materialise’s metal printing. The production of this project also took place here.

Bringing One Kilogram To Space Costs $20,000

The importance of weight reduction by only one kilogram (2.20 lbs) becomes very clear when looking at the costs of bringing it to space. Every kilogram that needs to go up there will cost us around $20,000 USD. Now you’ll understand that every tiny bit of weight reduction is of the utmost importance in this industry. By using additive manufacturing, this component can be made hollow and with a lattice structure, resulting in an object with similar to better strength properties with a weigth reduced by more than 950 gram (2.09 lbs)!

atos-materialise-titanium-inserts-5

atos-materialise-titanium-inserts-6

Atos and Materialise have summarized their experiences of this project in a study report entitled Additive Manufacturing Hot Bonded inserts in sandwich structures. This report was recently presented at a European Space Conference, ECSSMET. The study should strengthen the implementation of additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry.

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Robert Dehue
Co-Founder 3DPrinting.com
Latest posts

Turning Waste Into Walls with Additive Manufacturing

Digital Building Technologies (DBT), a team at ETH Zürich, is revolutionizing construction with their latest innovation: 3D printed foam from recycled waste for... read more »

Construction
Turning Waste Into Walls with Additive Manufacturing

nano3Dprint revolutionizes 3D printing landscape with the A2200 Multi-material Electronics Printer

nano3Dprint, a next-generation additive manufacturing solutions provider, has changed the 3D printing game with its A2200 Multi-material Electronics Printer. The A2200 is designed... read more »

3D Printers
nano3Dprint revolutionizes 3D printing landscape with the A2200 Multi-material Electronics Printer

New NIR SLA Process Allows Multi Material and Color Printing

Researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have developed a new 3D printing technique that has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. Led... read more »

News
New NIR SLA Process Allows Multi Material and Color Printing

3D Bioprinting Gives Hope to Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer patients who have undergone mastectomy procedures often face challenges in finding suitable solutions to restore the nipple area. This absence of... read more »

Bioprinting
3D Bioprinting Gives Hope to Breast Cancer Patients

Researchers Print Smartphone Blood Pressure Monitor

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a low-cost smartphone attachment that enables blood pressure monitoring at users' fingertips. The... read more »

Medical
Researchers Print Smartphone Blood Pressure Monitor

CSIRO Using Additive Manufacturing to Develop Hydrogen Generator

Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, has received a $10 million investment from Advanced Carbon Engineering to develop a portable hydrogen generator. The generator... read more »

3D Printing Metal
CSIRO Using Additive Manufacturing to Develop Hydrogen Generator

Hands-On Review: Anycubic Photon Mono M5s

Anycubic has just released the Anycubic Photon Mono M5s, which is the first consumer grade, leveling-free resin printer with a 12k LCD screen.... read more »

3D Printers
Hands-On Review: Anycubic Photon Mono M5s

Researchers Print Microphones Inspired by Insect Ears

Researchers are developing tiny 3D printed microphones inspired by insect ears that can accurately determine the direction of a sound. Currently, bulky and... read more »

News
Researchers Print Microphones Inspired by Insect Ears

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
  • Twitter Twitter 3D Printing
  • Geeetech THUNDER Geeetech THUNDER
    250 x 250 x 260 mm
    $489
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech A30T Geeetech A30T
    320 x 320 x 420 mm
    $449
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech Mizar M Geeetech Mizar M
    255 x 255 x 260 mm
    $399
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech ALKAID Geeetech ALKAID
    82 x 130 x 190 mm
    $99
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech Mizar S Geeetech Mizar S
    255 x 255 x 260 mm
    $279
    Buy Now
  • Modix BIG-60 Modix BIG-60
    600 x 600 x 660 mm
    $4,900
    Buy Now
creality
  • Hands-On Review: Anycubic Photon Mono M5s Hands-On Review: Anycubic Photon Mono M5s Learn More
  • Hands-On Review: The Mole 3D Scanner Hands-On Review: The Mole 3D Scanner Learn More

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Industry MAGNUM Industry MAGNUM
    1500 x 1200 x 1200 mm
    €159.000
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG-120Z Modix BIG-120Z
    600 x 600 x 1200 mm
    from $7,500
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG Meter Modix BIG Meter
    1010 x 1010 x 1010 mm
    from $13,500
    Request a Quote
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Companies

  • Modix
  • Industry
  • Geeetech

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2023 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing
We serve cookies on this site to analyze traffic, remember your preferences, and optimize your experience.
Details
Close