According to the companies, in mid-November Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Stratasys have applied Hexagon’s simulation technology to capture the behaviour of Stratasys’ high-performance, ultra-lightweight Antero reinforced polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) materials and its additive manufacturing processes.
The ‘rigorously validated’ simulations offer Stratasys customers unique insight so they can lightweight components and introduce new sustainable aircraft and spacecraft faster.
3D printed plastic parts can offer ‘transformative’ lightweighting for aerospace according to Stratasys, reducing the energy use and increasing the range of new aircraft. The company claims that 3D printing can reduce costs and waste as well as lead times and lead time due to traditional manufacturing processes.
Stratasys states that plastic and AM methods have been slow to be adopted for structural components. According to Stratasys this could be due to the safety-critical nature in the industry as well as the strict regulations that must apply to parts.
Hexagon says that by providing engineering teams the simulation tools to validate that the materials will achieve the required part performance, they are supplying the ‘missing link’, enabling designers to apply the breakthroughs today.
‘Rigorously-validated’ multi-scale models of the new high-performance aerospace-approved materials, Stratasys Antero 840CN03 and Antero 800NA have been added to Hexagon’s Digimat materials exchange ecosystem, with associated print process parameters from Stratasys’ aerospace-ready 3D printers.
Engineers can use the models to create digital twins which accurately predict the performance of parts printed with the selected material and an approved aerospace-ready Stratasys print head. The parts can be digitally simulated using real-world scenarios and certification tests, before physical prototypes are made.
Learn more Hexagon unveils plans to grow 3D printing industry’s ‘most flexible and open’ ecosystem
Hexagon says that the Digimat software, which is designed to be open, gives manufacturers the ability to design lighter parts that can match metals in performance and avoid costly ‘overengineering’ using their preferred finite element analysis (FEA) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools.
Antero materials have been used in aerospace engineering for many years. Lockheed Martin using Antero 840CN03 to create NASA’s Orion spacecraft docking hatch cover.
“As the aerospace industry continues to push for more sustainable designs, unlocking the lightweighting potential of thermoplastics and 3D printing will be key. By leveraging the power of our simulation technology, manufacturers gain access to proprietary information so their engineers can ‘work the problem’ with reliable information,” said Aziz Tahiri, Vice President of Global Aerospace and Defence for Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division.
“We’re excited to see how this next chapter with Stratasys will help the industry create lighter, stronger designs in any design engineering tool with more confidence and less cost and help bring next-gen aircraft to market faster.”
Foster Ferguson, Aerospace Business Segment Leader, Stratasys, said: “The Antero 840CN03 and Antero 800NA thermoplastics provide unprecedented strength, heat, and chemical resistance. When combined with Hexagon’s simulation insights and actionable data, these 3D printed materials’ ability to replace certain applications of aluminium and steel clearly points to growing use in the aerospace industry.”
Through the partnership between Stratasys and Hexagon, which began over a decade ago, several high-performance thermoplastic materials, including ULTEM 9085, ULTEM 9085 CG, ULTEM 1010, and Nylon12CF, have been characterised and added to Hexagon’s Digimat material modelling software.
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