Manufacturing of Closed Impeller for Mechanically Pump Fluid Loop Systems Using Selective Laser Melting Additive Manufacturing Technology

Abstract

In the space industry, the market demand for high-pressure mechanically pumped fluid loop (MPFL) systems has increased the interest for integrating advanced technologies in the manufacturing process of critical components with complex geometries. The conventional manufacturing process of a closed impeller encounters different technical challenges, but using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, the small component is printed, fulfilling the quality requirements. This paper presents the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process of a closed impeller designed for a centrifugal pump integrated in an MPFL system with the objective of defining a complete manufacturing process. A set of three closed impellers was manufactured, and each closed impeller was subjected to dimensional accuracy analysis, before and after applying an iterative finishing process for the internal surface area. One of the impellers was validated through non-destructive testing (NDT) activities, and finally, a preliminary balancing was performed for the G2.5 class. The process setup (building orientation and support structure) defined in the current study for a pre-existing geometry of the closed impeller takes full advantages of LPBF technology and represents an important step in the development of complex structural components, increasing the technological readiness level of the AM process for space applications.

High‐Throughput Metal 3D Printing Pen Enabled by a Continuous Molten Droplet Transfer

“…Current efforts for the development of arc-based metal AM technology are mainly focused on the manufacture of relatively simple 3D structures comprising a combination of straight lines, such as lattice structures, [77][78][79] impellers, [80][81][82] propellers, [83][84][85] and turbine blades. [86,87] In addition, the issues of the deterioration of the shape precision and mechanical properties of prototypes under the cyclic melting and cooling of metal wires and the increased temperature of the structures due to the high heat input of the arc plasma remain unaddressed.…”

Nano-Additive Manufacturing and Non-Destructive Testing of Nanocomposites

“…After determining the key position of the component as the detection object, the required spatial resolution is calculated through the defect detection size requirements, then the magnification ratio is adjusted so that the signal generated in the target area during the detection process can be completely received by the detector, and the detection image of the target area is obtained through local reconstruction techniques. Although this method will inevitably introduce a large number of artifacts, if the appropriate scanning parameters are adjusted to increase the contrast difference between the defect and the material, defects such as porosity can still be clearly displayed [108][109][110].…”

Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process Parameters’ Optimization for Fabrication of Dense IN 625

“…The study also provides useful information for selecting the appropriate workspace of process parameters to obtain high densification or low surface roughness or a suitable combination of the two. This basic set of process parameters was used in other studies made by the authors to assess the edge and corner effects during selective laser melting [57], the tensile strength anisotropy of the additive manufactured IN 625 using a Lasertec 30 SLM machine [56], and regarding complex-shaped parts manufacturing [58,59]. Future research will be conducted regarding the appropriate process parameter definition for Lasertec 30 SLM manufactured Ti-based alloys.…”