"Metal 3D printing? Is it metal additive manufacturing?"
After listening to Zhuang Jianye's words, the senior researcher of a certain mechanical research institute narrowed his eyes, looked at Zhuang Jianye noncommittally, then raised the small turbojet engine in his hand to his face, and asked again very seriously: "Comrade Zhuang Jianye , are you sure that such engines are all made of metal additive manufacturing?¡±
In fact, not only this senior researcher, but other members of the research team with technical backgrounds also looked at Zhuang Jianye with strange eyes.
"How is this possible?" were all written in the surprised eyes.
It¡¯s no wonder that senior researchers and others have such an attitude. In fact, although metal 3D printing, or metal additive manufacturing, is the forefront of process manufacturing, many people believe that this technology represents the future development direction of industrial manufacturing.
But after all, the future has not yet arrived. It is impossible to solve the current problems, especially for high value-added industrial products such as aerospace engines that require a large number of high-precision metal forgings. Metal 3D printing is more of a gimmick. .
The reason is very simple. Due to its natural defects, this type of technology cannot be practically applied in fields that require ultra-high metal strength.
No way, it is true that metal 3D printing at this time cannot produce special parts with high mechanical strength at the same level as high-precision forgings. In other words, metal 3D printing can only make a physical resemblance at best, but cannot achieve a spiritual resemblance at all.
Because the internal metal structure of metal parts in the aerospace field basically requires crystals to be arranged neatly, so that the structural strength requirements can be met. Because of this, high-precision forgings will become popular.
With metal 3D printing, the metal structure inside the parts produced is a floc-like structure, with poor structural strength, and cracks and fractures often occur.
If not, how could the developed countries in Europe and the United States, which were the first to invent and widely apply it, leave such good alternative equipment unused and continue to specialize in the old precision forging process?
After so many years of research, it has been discovered that metal 3D printing technology is nothing more than an illusion. Especially in the United States, since the late 1970s, it has repeatedly invested heavily in the field of metal 3D printing, researched it for more than ten years, and Tests were carried out on core components made with metal 3D printing technology on the F-18 fighter jet and F-404 turbofan engine. The results showed that the mechanical strength of these parts was so poor that they could not even meet the entry-level aviation safety standards, let alone Not to mention military equipment with higher performance.
So the Americans came to the conclusion that metal 3D printing can at best do some repairs of this level of parts in the field of aviation maintenance, and the rest is just custom-made high-level toy models for children.
Based on this judgment, the Americans will publicly transfer the metal 3D printing technology patents that they have retained for nearly 30 years. Anyway, they are useless things. It is a waste to keep them in their hands. It is better to put them on the market and earn a patent fee. .
At this moment, the United States is the absolute king in the world's science and technology field. Even if the conclusion they draw is not a truth, it is a theorem. Let alone anyone refuting it, there is no voice of questioning.
After all, technologies like metal 3D printing not only require time, but also require massive capital investment. Other countries do not have the ability to do so, so what is there to question?
Since Americans don¡¯t want to cheat themselves, how can they not keep good things?
Because of this, Americans¡¯ conclusion that metal 3D printing has little application prospects in the aerospace field was quickly generally accepted by the world¡¯s aerospace manufacturing field.
As a good student in the country who is trying to cross the river by touching the US imperialism, we naturally have no doubts about the conclusion that the US imperialism has spent a lot of money, so like other countries, we have become interested in additive manufacturing technologies, including metal 3D printing technology. Quack.
With the exception of a few individual projects that have already been launched and funds paid, the vast majority of additive manufacturing technology projects have either been forced to be discontinued or directly axed.
Among them, China Tengfei retains the most additive manufacturing technology projects, but only two.
Even so, the project approved by China Takeoff is not aerospace industry manufacturing, but aircraft and spacecraft system maintenance.
After all, China Ascendas has four large-scale aviation maintenance plants and a spacecraft inspection center. The maintenance business accounts for 12.4% of China Ascendas's total business, which is not a small proportion. It is quite normal to build some special maintenance equipment.
What the senior researcher and others did not expect was that Zhuang Jianye would actually apply the equipment in the maintenance field to large-scale industrial production, and the well-made equipment was not ordinary, it was the most complex aerospace engine.
Even if this engine is only used in foreign trade cruisesIt is a small and flexible turbojet engine, and it is also a disposable consumable with a short lifespan. But even so, if it is not supported by superior high-precision forgings, even a one-time turbojet will suffer from insufficient structural strength during operation. Early scrapping.
By then, cruise missiles will no longer be cruise missiles, but big firecrackers that explode in the air.
Because of this, the senior researcher who looked directly at Zhuang Jianye, after asking the question seriously, added again with confirmation: "This matter is very important, Comrade Zhuang Jianye, I hope you can take it seriously!"
You mean I¡¯m joking with you again?
Zhuang Jianye cursed in his heart, but he still smiled on his face: "As the saying goes, hearing is believing and seeing is believing. Leaders, please come here. Next to it is the production workshop of our wd-18 highly integrated small turbojet engine."
"You haven't set up a special production plant for this small turbojet engine?"
Hearing that the small turbojet engine in his hand was produced in the supporting workshop next to the cruise missile, the senior researcher immediately opened his eyes in surprise.
You must know that this kind of military small turbojet is not a civilian product as shown in the model. The requirements are still very high. There are at least thousands of parts inside. Not to mention the domestic aviation level is average, it is the developed countries in Europe and the United States, similar Small engines will also set up special production plants for professional processing and production.
¡°But China Takeoff actually regarded this core equipment as a supporting package and placed it next to the cruise missile assembly workshop.
You must know that the senior researcher had seen it before entering. The surrounding factories are not big. If you want to provide the production efficiency of a cruise missile that can be rolled off the assembly line in three minutes, the production efficiency of the wd-18 small turbojet engine must at least be synchronized with it. Otherwise, there will be no supply at all.
Traditional forging manufacturing obviously cannot do this. Is it possible that China Tengfei really used metal 3D printing technology to make a small turbojet engine?
Zhuang Jianye did not directly answer the senior researcher's surprise, but said with a smile: "The leader should go and take a look." Then he gestured towards an exit, then walked over with his legs raised. The senior researcher and others With a certain amount of suspicion and a certain amount of curiosity, I followed him.
We quickly passed through the workshop, then walked through a long corridor, put on dust-proof clothes and dust-proof hats, and then entered a medium-sized dust-proof workshop. Then the senior researcher and others were stunned by the scene in front of them.
I saw ten processing equipment more than two meters long and one meter high lined up. All of them were processing various parts of the WD-18 small turbojet engine. As the processing was completed, the beeps sounded one after another. The operation desks of the five pieces of equipment were opened one after another, and a robot took out the parts and placed them on a small lifting belt. The workers who were already ready quickly assembled the parts according to the process, and then started the test run, which lasted for 5 minutes. Finally, stop the machine to cool down and wait for packaging.
?????????????????????????????????? It takes an average of half an hour for a wd-18 turbojet engine to be assembled and tested. This efficiency is simply
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