Specialists from Reshetnev University (SibGU) and Polikhrom company for the first time manufactured samples of cast aluminum-silicon alloy – silumin – using selective laser melting (SLM). As reported to TASS by the university's press service, the material is widely in demand for aircraft engine casings, impellers, and elements of rocket and space technology due to its lightness, strength, and corrosion resistance.
Test products were printed on an industrial metal 3D printer to determine how laser scanning speed affects strength characteristics. Internal defects – un-melted areas and pores – clearly appeared on samples manufactured at maximum speed. Reshetnev University called this parameter a key factor determining the "life" of a future part.
For critical aerospace products, such defects are unacceptable. The current task is to find a balance between printing performance and quality to scale additive technologies into mass production. The experiment provided clear confirmation: the machine's speed directly dictates whether a part goes into an engine casing or becomes scrap.
Read more on the topic:
- Breakthrough in 3D printing: Russian composite created for nuclear reactors, engines, and space
- Scientists from Reshetnev University in Krasnoyarsk have reduced the cost of 3D printing with copper
- Volgograd State Technical University Scientists Reduce Defect Rate of Composite Products by Up to 15% Thanks to 3D Printing