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Engineers from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL’s) Manufacturing Technologies Division successfully demonstrated the capabilities of a new multi-purpose maintenance and manufacturing robot at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

Goodfellow’s process involves breaking methane gas – a very potent greenhouse gas – into hydrogen and elemental carbon atoms in a plasma reactor. The carbon atoms recombine into graphene sheets in the hydrogen atmosphere.

Standards development teams at SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., have issued 11 new technical documents and revised or reaffirmed another 54 technical reports focused on mobility engineering across the aerospace, automotive, and commercial transportation communities. The new documents, issued throughout June 2018, cover a variety of technical subject areas, including: diagnostic link connector security, mitigation strategies against illumination effects, data dictionary for quantities used in cyber physical exams, requirements for production of metal powder feedstock for use in additive manufacturing of aerospace parts, and laser powder bed fusion process.

Jun 13, 2018 - The Aerospace Material Specification committee on Additive Manufacturing (AMS-AM) at SAE International in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, has released its first suite of Aerospace Material Specifications (AMS) additive manufacturing materials and process specifications. The new aerospace technical standards, now available from SAE, support the certification of critical aircraft and spacecraft parts, providing both a framework to protect the integrity of material property data and traceability within the aerospace supply chain.

The 3D printing materials market will experience high double-digit growth in the aerospace industry through 2024, as manufacturers of aircraft and spacecraft vehicles and components increasingly adopt and reap the benefits of additive manufacturing, market analysts at Frost & Sullivan in Mountain View, California, predict.

Today, Hartford, Conn.-based Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., incorporates more than 5000 sensors on its latest powerplant, the PW1000G high-bypass geared turbofan (GTF). The massive amount of data requires significant processing capabilities, but results in efficiencies for operators and maintainers.

Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division in Ashburn, Va., has enhanced its range of Advanced Video Display Units (AVDU) high-resolution, rugged LCD touchscreen displays with new software-configurable capabilities to improve flexibility, usability, and reliability.

High-tech design causes time to remanufacture engines to nearly triple and adds to cost, while used engines remain a competitive factor. However, Purdue University data shows remanufacturing is far more energy efficient than installing a new powerplant.

Rolls-Royce holds that hands-on, practical training will always be the main focus for maintainers; however, VR technology will help bolster training activities especially with the amount of new aircraft that will be needed to accommodate the additional air passengers (which is expected to almost double by 2036).

Battery weight and power density is a major design consideration when it comes to electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. To reduce platform weight for next-generation electric vehicles, Atlanta-based Novelis, Inc. (Novelis) has used direct feedback from industry partners and automotive design engineers to develop the first aluminum sheet battery enclosure.

Honeywell Aerospace, a division of Honeywell International, has rolled out a new business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform for buying and selling aerospace components. The new platform, GoDirect Trade, improves access to new and used aircraft parts for airlines, air transport, and business aviation customers by offering clear pricing and direct inventory access.

Ricardo introduces a unique service to re-industrialize complex service parts with critical inventory shortages, leveraging expertise in low-volume and high-complexity powertrain sourcing.

Two new installments in the burgeoning SAE International Podcast Series cast a spotlight on additive manufacturing, which is fueling innovation, greater efficiencies, and the future of mobility engineering. Additive manufacturing continues to advance and transform mobility engineering, as aerospace and automotive firms increasingly adopt and invest in 3D printing technologies, which are becoming more capable and cost-effective.

In a major production milestone called “final body join,” Boeing teams connected the major fuselage sections of the first 777X long-range, wide-body airliner in the company’s factory in Everett, Washington.

Weber Metals Inc., a division of Otto Fuchs KG of Germany, unveiled a new, $180 million, 60,000-ton press at its 2.5-acre facility in Paramount, California, southeast of Los Angeles. It sets a record as the highest tonnage hydraulic forging press in the Americas and the largest privately funded forging press investment in the world.

Created as a component of Locatory’s Sensus Aero product line, Sensus MRO uses a unique, module-based system designed around the best practices in aircraft lean operations to make MRO processes more efficient with less human effort.

SAE International, a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for mobility engineering, is bringing together subject-matter experts from across the globe for the first SAE International Aerospace Japan Symposium, held November 29 and 30 in conjunction with Japan International Aerospace Exhibition 2018 at Tokyo Big Sight convention center in Tokyo.

To provide efficient workforce coverage and lower airport operating costs, German air navigation provider DFS will shift all Saarbrücken, Erfurt, and Dresden air traffic operations to the DFS Remote Tower Control Center in Leipzig.

The companies have partnered to jointly develop and commercialize a next-generation exhaust system for heavy trucks that incorporates thermoelectric waste heat recovery.