Case Study - Optimised Titanium Gimbal Fork
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APWORKS and Mynaric are excited to share details of a successful serial application of Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM), sometimes referred to as Metal 3D-Printing.
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The Condor Mk3 laser optical terminal has been an extremely successful product development by Mynaric, with applications on satellites and other platforms for secure communications.
Image Copyright Mynaric
Image Copyright Mynaric
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At its heart is a titanium alloy fork produced by APWORKS on their EOS M400-4 quad laser machine, using the laser powder bed fusion process. The powder bed fusion process fuses titanium alloy powder layer-by-layer using four lasers scanned by galvanometer-driven mirrors.
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​​​​The design of this part was developed in close collaboration, resulting in a geometry which is both lightweight and well suited to the laser powder bed fusion process, while meeting the precise technical requirements of the application, where very precise thermal and stiffness behaviour is required.
This close cooperation resulted in a design which allows 4 parts to be tightly ‘nested’ together on the build platform with one laser on the M400-4 dedicated to each part, improving the cost economics of the AM process. The parts are printed together with numerous test specimens which allow for the highest level of quality control to assure the material properties on which the design is based.
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​Once the melting process is completed, the build platform is transferred to a vacuum furnace for heat treatment to relieve residual stresses. Following the heat treatment the parts are separated from the build platform by a wire electro-discharge machining (EDM) process. They are then manually post processed and inspected prior to machining of the tight tolerance interfaces. Following final inspection at APWORKS, they are sent to Mynaric for painting, assembly and integration.
Image Copyright Mynaric
Image Copyright Mynaric
Image Copyright Mynaric
​​​​With more than 100 parts already delivered and integrated, Mynaric and APWORKS have demonstrated that metal additive manufacturing is a suitable technology for this type of aerospace component, with quality and production economics which are suitable for this field of application.
Image Copyright Mynaric
Image Copyright Mynaric