Strategic collaboration advances metal 3D printing for military aircraft sustainment through 2028
The University of Oklahoma and Oak Ridge National Laboratory — in partnership with the Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Research Laboratory and the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex — will launch Phase II of a groundbreaking additive manufacturing research program to revolutionize how the military maintains and modernizes legacy weapon systems. OU has been awarded $8.8 million as part of the initiative.
“This partnership is indicative of the strength of OU’s additive and advanced manufacturing, which is an important component of our national security and supports the continued growth of the aerospace and defense industry in Oklahoma,” said Matthew Hulver, vice president for research and partnerships at the University of Oklahoma. “The aim of this project to streamline the airworthiness processes for our nation’s fleet is well representative of our impact-focused research growth in national security.”
The project addresses a critical challenge in military aviation: aircraft that can remain in service for upwards of sixty years require replacement parts that are increasingly difficult to source.
Additive manufacturing, or a type of complex 3D printing, is a layer-by-layer printing method used to produce 3D objects. This research will develop a new system for testing and approving 3D-printed parts by digitally tracking the entire manufacturing process, rather than testing each step separately. This data-driven approach enables parts to be manufactured on various machines and platforms while still meeting stringent military safety requirements.
Certification for airworthiness presents unique challenges. Currently, the materials, geometry and machines necessary for additive manufacturing of parts are individually tested, making part certification both cost- and time-intensive. This project will significantly reduce the time required for manufacturing and repairing aircraft parts, and establish a single, standardized process for qualifying additive manufacturing across the Air Force Sustainment Center, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex and their respective supply chains.
“Phase One focused on replacement components using additive manufacturing, especially laser powder bed fusion,” said Zahed Siddique, associate dean of research in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. “In Phase 2, we will be looking at the repair of components in addition to the manufacturing of new components and looking at quality assurance using AI and in situ monitoring.”
The work builds upon the success of the OU and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partnership. Last year, OU announced a strategic collaboration with ORNL to establish a cutting-edge additive manufacturing center based in Norman, Okla. Leveraging this partnership will provide a pathway for developing advanced additive manufacturing solutions under a rigorous airworthiness qualification framework.
“Standardizing additive manufacturing qualification is a pervasive issue in the aerospace industry,” said Dr. Mark Benedict, senior scientist for Convergent Manufacturing at AFRL, “and the work that the OU-ORNL partnership is accomplishing accelerates the technology’s adoption for our sustainment enterprise.”
Ultimately, sustainment — keeping Air Force assets operational — is the goal of the partnership.
“Sustainment is extremely important to the readiness of our U.S. Air Force and broader Department of War,” said Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for National Security Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “We are proud to partner with the University of Oklahoma and the Air Force to democratize national laboratory capabilities — like the Peregrine software — which can accelerate manufacturing innovation and ultimately build defect-free parts that are born ready to fly.”
Learn more about the Gallogly College of Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
