Tall AM Build Envelope Cuts Months of Aerospace Prototyping

In a joint project, Safran Landing Systems and SLM Solutions used selective laser melting to produce a component for the nose landing gear of a small business jet.

The companies meant to demonstrate the feasibility of selective laser melting for a main fitting, in what would be an uncommonly large build for the AM process. They redesigned the component for metal additive manufacturing, saving time throughout the process and reducing component weight by about 15%. Final part dimensions came in at 455 × 295 × 805 mm. The final design is unique to Safran and is patented. 

The component is one of the parts that transfers load from the wheel to the aircraft structure, and which is retracted after takeoff. Its importance results in stringent requirements, which Safran met through using titanium alloy. Titanium alloy was an ideal choice for the application because of the mechanical properties associated with the material, even when processed for AM. The alloy is naturally resistant to corrosion, increases part durability in relation to previous designs and does not require any surface treatment.

The initial challenge in developing the project was to find the right machine to produce the part because it is over 800 mm tall. “We chose SLM Solutions as a partner because of their expertise and the SLM 800 machine, which meets our requirements in terms of machine size and reliability,” says Thierry Berenger, additive manufacturing project leader at Safran Landing Systems.

The SLM 800’s build envelope of 500 x 280 x 850 mm enables the production of large components for industrial applications. It comes equipped with SLM Solutions’ quad-laser technology as well as reliability-increasing features like the patented gas flow and a permanent filter.

The flexibility of the SLM technology enabled rapid production of modified part designs, saving the companies time that would have otherwise been spend in prototype development.

“Additive manufacturing saves time in the qualification and certification phases by rapidly providing the parts for testing,” says Gerhard Bierleutgeb, executive vice president of Global Services and Solutions at SLM Solutions. “We were able to produce the main fitting in few days on the SLM 800, versus few months with the forging process.”