Additive Manufacturing Special Report - November 2023 - 13

An overview of various approaches to 3D printing for impellers. (Image: FT Technologies)
compatible with a wide range of
working fluids. Aluminum alloys
offer considerable weight reduction
when high strength is not required.
Titanium alloys offer exceptional
strength to weight ratios, though they
are highly reactive with cryogenic
oxygen and the two must be kept out
of contact. All three material bases
have been successfully employed
using additive manufacturing in
turbopump design with continual
development on new alloys.
Particularly exciting to me, as the
manufacturing engineer responsible
for the space group for my
company, is the ability of advanced
AM to print high-speed rotating
components, specifically impellers.
Historically, there has been a fear
in the industry over the robustness
of such components due to the
nature of additive manufacturing
being an application of welding.
We've been working with 3D printed
high speed rotating components
for quite a few years now, and
with the correct procedures and
processes we've shown it to be a
very viable manufacturing method.
Another challenge in building
rotating components is that, due
to the necessity of using support
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SPECIAL REPORT
An impeller developed using additive manufacturing. (Image: FT Technologies)
NOVEMBER 2023 13

Additive Manufacturing Special Report - November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Additive Manufacturing Special Report - November 2023