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by Alwyn Scott
February 17, 2017
Boeing has hired a small company to make about 600 3D-printed parts for its Starliner space taxis, meaning key components in the United States manned space program are being built with additive manufacturing.
The company, privately held Oxford Performance Materials, will announce a $10 million strategic investment from advanced materials company Hexcel Corp as early as Friday, adding to $15 million Hexcel invested in May and lifting Hexcel’s equity stake to 16.1 percent, Oxford and Hexcel said.
Boeing’s award of the parts for its flagship space program and Hexcel’s funding are strategic bets that printed plastics can perform flawlessly even under the extreme stress of a rocket launch and sub-zero temperatures of space.
A technician uses a laser scanner to inspect a 3-D printed thrust reverser cascade printed by an EOS 3-D printer and made of “OXPEKK” material at Oxford Performance Materials Inc., the maker of more than 600 parts to be used on Boeing’s manned Starliner spacecraft in South Windsor, Connecticut, U.S., January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar
They offer further evidence of a shift in 3D printing from making prototypes to commercial production of high-grade parts for space ships, aircraft engines and other critical equipment.
Oxford’s parts will help Boeing lower costs and save weight on each seven-seat capsule, compared with traditional metal and plastic manufacturing, Larry Varholak, president of Oxford’s aerospace business, said in an interview.
“What really makes it valuable to NASA and Boeing is this material is as strong as aluminum at significantly less weight,” he said. Boeing said the weight savings on Oxford’s parts is about 60 percent compared with traditional manufacturing.
Boeing is building three Starliner capsules under a $4.2 billion NASA contract. Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX is building a competing capsule under a $2.6 billion NASA contract.
Oxford has already shipped parts for the Starliner. The plastic it uses, known as PEKK, also resists fire and radiation, according to Oxford. Boeing declined to say how much of the capsule Oxford’s parts represent.
Machine Technician Jesus Conde looks into an EOS 3-D printer unit as it builds thermoplastic parts from “OXPEKK” material at Oxford Performance Materials Inc., the maker of more than 600 parts to be used on Boeing’s new Starliner manned spacecraft, in South Windsor, Connecticut, U.S., January 31, 2017. Picture taken January 31,2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar
“It’s a significant fraction of the Starliner from the aspects of design, assembly and reliability of high integrity parts,” said Leo Christodoulou, director of structures and materials engineering at Boeing. “Using Oxford’s materials takes out a lot of cost.”
“SHOW ME THE DATA”
Despite its promise and potential sales, customers and investors need to be convinced by repeatable results from printed plastics.
“We’re still in the show-me stage,” Oxford Chief Executive Scott DeFelice said in an interview. “If you don’t show me the data I’m not going to believe you.”
Oxford, based in South Windsor, Connecticut, started as a materials science company in 2000 and added 3D printing in 2006. It also makes aircraft parts and cranial and facial implants, as well as replacement human vertebrae.
In 2012 it delved into aerospace and defense. Working with NASA, Northrop Grumman Corp and incubator America Makes, it demonstrated printed PEKK could handle temperatures from minus 300 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit among other qualities,
“It’s everything from brackets supporting the propulsion system to internal structures for the air revitalization system,” Varholak said of the parts for Boeing’s Starliner.
Machine Technician Jesus Conde looks into an EOS 3-D printer unit as it builds thermoplastic parts from “OXPEKK” material in the Laser Melting Room at Oxford Performance Materials Inc., the maker of more than 600 parts to be used on Boeing’s new Starliner manned spacecraft, in South Windsor, Connecticut, U.S., January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Printing parts is often faster and less expensive than traditional forging, machining or molding. It requires minimal tooling and touch labor, and allows companies to keep a “digital inventory” of parts, printing as needed, said Terry Wohlers, chief executive of consulting firm Wohlers Associates, which has tracked additive manufacturing for more than 20 years.
Use of 3D technology is surging. Sales reached $1 billion in 2007, jumped to nearly $5.2 billion in 2015 and are expected to hit $26.5 billion by 2021, according to the Wohlers Report, which analyzes the sector.
Several relatively small listed companies such as Stratasys Ltd, 3D Systems Corp and ExOne Co offer investors exposure.
Other firms have been snapped up. General Electric last year bought a controlling stake in Swedish 3D printing company Arcam AB and Germany’s Concept Laser, and launched an additive manufacturing division. GE already prints metal parts for the new LEAP engine that powers Boeing and Airbus SA single-aisle jetliners.
Aerospace already accounts for about 17 percent of 3D printing revenue, ranking second after industrial and business machines but ahead of automotive, consumer, electronics and medical products, according to Wohlers.
Product Development Engineer Jigar Patel works with a CAD image of a thrust reverser cascade in development at Oxford Performance Materials Inc., the maker of more than 600 parts to be used on Boeing’s new Starliner manned spacecraft, in South Windsor, Connecticut, the maker of more than 600 parts to be used on Boeing’s new Starliner manned spacecraft, in South Windsor, Connecticut, U.S., January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Aerospace is a “near perfect fit” for 3D printing because it involves complex, expensive parts made in relatively low volumes, Wohlers said. The Starliner is due to blast off for the first time in June 2018 from Cape Canaveral, and carry its first crew in August 2018. It will be launched on an Atlas V rocket supplied by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp.
— Boeing’s Space Taxis To Use More Than 600 3-D Printed Parts originally appeared at Galaxy Monitor.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
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