Flight International highlights SMD research
Date: 2010-03-01
Leading aerospace journal Flight International has profiled the SMD additive manufacturing technology under development at the AMRC.
Shaped Metal Deposition (SMD) is a near-net shape prototyping system patented by Rolls-Royce and licensed to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing. The process allows complex parts to be built directly from the CAD model with minimum finishing, by building the component out of welded wire. Applications include one-off parts, rapid prototyping, repair and complex or hybrid components.
The AMRC is leading a collaborative project called Rapolac (Rapid Production of Large Aerospace Components), funded by the European Union sixth framework programme. The project aims to understand material properties of the process and automate production for commercial use, and will complete later this year. The Rapolac project has previously been profiled in journals including The Engineer and Materials World, and has also been featured on BBC News. For more information, see the Rapolac project website.