During WWII, the production of aluminum soared. More than half were made primarily from aluminum. From there, alloys were used to construct early rockets. The body casing of the Avantgarde and Titan rockets used for launching the first American rockets into orbit were made of aluminum alloys. Lockheed Martin chose aluminum-lithium for construction of the primary structures of the spacecraft. If you do not agree with our use of cookies, please change the current settings found in our Cookie Policy.
Otherwise, you agree to the use of the cookies as they are currently set. Skip to main content. Remember me. Request new password. Search form Search. The Aluminum Advantage. Aluminum Advantage. Examples of such aluminum include:. Aluminum has proven highly versatile throughout history, and continues to do so today. This will ensure that aluminum will continue to be a valuable material well into the future.
Do you want to learn more about: Making your material search easier Reducing your lead times Eliminating frustrating searches with multiple suppliers. Aluminum in the Aerospace Industry. This is important to an industry where backlogs have become the norm. AM can also greatly lower inventory levels. To avoid the potential of any plane being grounded, airline companies stock spare parts that may go unused or become obsolete. AM eliminates this need as companies can 3D print on-demand.
Parts can be produced near the point of use instead of having to be stored and shipped from a remote facility. From a design standpoint, AM has its own particularities. Design freedoms typically refer to terms of geometry, so there are many other variables and constraints to consider. For example, small changes in process parameters — such as material storage temperatures and humidity — affect the microstructures of the deposited material and change how the end product behaves.
Currently, there are no formal standards for efficiently ensuring product viability of AM-mass produced components. Before manufacturers can invest in 3D printing aircraft parts, they must be able to certify repeatability and predictability of the process to consistently create reliable parts that meet specifications.
This cannot be accomplished without strong simulation capabilities that capture the physics of the material and the process. New materials typically require new manufacturing methodologies. And with AM, current CAD programs are limited, especially when integrating with simulation information.
The process is typically manual and requires multiple iterations. These issues illustrate the importance of having AM development tools that are part of an end-to-end digital strategy with simulation embedded within the tool set. A single collaborative platform that maintains one data set across design, development, and manufacturing functions can support such a strategy. Additionally, a future manufacturing strategy with AM as a core resource will reduce inventory, improve material flow, and enable efficiencies through just-in-time inventory management.
AM offers aircraft manufacturers the opportunity to streamline the supply chain, producing highly customized aircraft parts and printing more efficient, lightweight materials. To gain the full benefits of AM, design and manufacturing processes must fundamentally change to enable quicker production processes that result in consistent quality on a large scale, and ultimately support the future of aviation innovation.
The aerospace sector is experiencing an unprecedented expansion. Air travel demand, defined as revenue passenger kilometers RPKs , has steadily increased and growth is accelerating. After sprinting from 3. The market quickly compensated for this decline, returning to robust growth with a compounded annual growth rate CAGR of 6.
Moreover, this growth has continued to accelerate from to , reaching 7. Strong demand has translated into sustainable growth. Because of these exceptional growth rates, demand has led to record backlogs for Airbus and Boeing. At current production rates, they have eight years of backlog.
Although Boeing experienced a slight decline in its backlog from to , the combined backlog continued to expand from to Boeing has increased its B production from 35 aircraft per month in to 52 aircraft per month in , with the expectation of increasing production by another five planes per month in Airbus is increasing A production from a rate of 50 aircraft per month in to 60 aircraft in Strong fundamentals have driven public aerospace valuations to near all-time highs.
Relative valuations have almost doubled, with public aerospace companies trading at an average of At Although deal volume declined from to , the number of transactions closed in remained higher than the year average.
More importantly, if the pace of deals during the first seven months of is extrapolated throughout the year, should significantly exceed the number of deals closed in see Chart 2. The leading aircraft original equipment manufacturers OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are significantly altering the competitive landscape.
With the Embraer joint venture, Boeing expands its position within the narrow-body aircraft category and becomes a leader within the regional jet market. Boeing also acquired KLX in May to expand its presence in supply chain management, building upon its acquisition of Aviall in Of course, Airbus gained control of the C-Series aircraft without making a cash investment.
United Technologies Corp. The aerospace market is undergoing a critical transformation that emphasizes consolidation of the supplier base to eliminate unnecessary costs and enhance the long-term viability of each successor organization.
Ten deals from the past several months show companies deploying a buy-and-build strategy see Chart 3.
Eight of the deals were financed by private equity groups and include metal processing and precision machining manufacturers; maintenance, repair, and overhaul MRO providers; and aircraft interiors manufacturers.
No matter the sub-sector, there is a group of acquirers aiming to consolidate the market. Many groups are serial acquirers with multiple interests. In all, more than PE firms have one or more portfolio companies focused on aerospace. However, strategic operators are not ready to be outdone by PE firms.
In , UTC acquired Rockwell Collins, itself among the more active acquirers of aerospace companies. The market also witnessed European aerostructures companies, such as Sonaca and Aernnova, purchase U.
Transdigm has remained aggressive in the space, recently adding Skandia to its portfolio, as it continues to acquire approximately three companies annually. Other key acquirers in the sector include AAR Corp. Generally, respondents expressed a favorable sentiment about the U. The current market affords shareholders and owners a great opportunity to maximize value. The fundamentals are excellent and have led to record valuations. The velocity of transactions has remained robust and recent indicators suggest this may accelerate.
Consolidation among Tier 1 suppliers is occurring at a quick pace, in turn, putting more pressure on the supply base to consolidate. Consequently, middle-market deals are the most active segment of the market and are supported by significant interest from both private equity firms and strategic operators alike.
Among strategic acquirers, both domestic and international buyers remain active. He may be reached at Aerospace Manufacturing and Design October Aluminum has a long and successful history in aerospace.
A brief history The Wright brothers chose aluminum for the cylinder block and other engine parts on their first manned flight in Commonly used aluminum alloys Second only to aluminum alloy in terms of its popularity in aerospace engineering, is a strong, tough metal suitable for arc and resistance welding.
Less common aluminum alloys The aluminum alloy provides maximum strength at elevated temperatures. The future Industry experts have a positive outlook about the future of aluminum alloys in aerospace, projecting demand for aluminum will double during the next decade.
To address the challenges: 1. Optimize power consumption In space applications, power comes at a premium — every watt wasted by a non-optimized system costs precious resources. Manage temperature Two critical temperature concerns affecting hybrid stepper motors in space are temperature range and the amount of heat generated.
Windings can be customized for high and low speeds, torque output tailored to a specific application requirement, and for high and low temperatures. Control vibration Launching a spacecraft into orbit is violent, as components are exposed to high-amplitude vibration, low-amplitude vibration, and shock from several directions.
Lin Engineering designs and manufactures a complete line of vacuum motors capable of operating in space, starting with the NEMA 11, series to the NEMA 23, series, as well as several custom and semicustom designs. Limit outgassing, contaminants On the microscopic level, gases and liquids are trapped inside of paints, coatings, greases, and materials.
The manufacturer assumes the risks associated with downtime, a value added that provides an important differentiator, additional revenue, and a way to build an intimate relationship with the customer — rather than simply selling a product.
The advent of the Internet of Things IoT has made this concept feasible and the risk acceptable.
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