Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Space Systems, delivered the keynote address at AIAA SciTech on January 14, 2014. Innovating for an Era of Affordability: The Future of the Space Industry focused on how Lockheed Martin is adopting innovative approaches in manufacturing, such as 3D printing, to help customers meet their mission needs.
The Manufacturer is hosting its Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Conference on June 11th in Birmingham. Click here for more information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLJ8iUZCx0o
Lockheed Martin is implementing 3D printing and 3D pathfinding simulation technology to improve affordability and operational excellence throughout the entire lifecycle of our products.
Transforming Production with the Digital Tapestry
Next-generation digital manufacturing technologies are redefining Lockheed Martin’s production cycle, forming the company’s “digital tapestry,” a seamless digital environment driven by integrated Model Based Engineering (MBE) tool set that keeps the digital data intact from conceptualization to realization.
3D Printing Satellite Parts
Lockheed Martin is implementing 3D printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing, to print titanium satellite parts — reducing cost, cycle time and material waste. 3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional objects directly from a computer model. This process is achieved using an additive process. A material, such as titanium, is heated and then applied in successive layers to create almost any shape. When a product is printed using additive manufacturing, waste is minimized and cycle time is drastically reduced. Lockheed Martin is currently using this process to develop printed satellite parts and plans to continue expanding the process in the future to complex parts and maybe even full satellites.
