Invar, wire additive manufacturing expand aerocomposite tooling options

Invar face sheets and backing structures are candidates for large-format 3D printing to more quickly and efficiently produce aerostructures tooling. As the use of composites has soared in commercial aircraft in the last decade, so too has the size of parts being converted from metals to composites — mostly to carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy prepreg. That has made it more challenging to find tooling options that can be produced in large sizes relatively affordably and quickly.
Read more...

;