“The Innovative Munitions Team’s task was to develop a cost-effective additive manufacturing (AM) method for ordnance metals. Additional project goals included green part testing, exploring print complexity capabilities, and developing a filament utilizing AF9628. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Munitions Directorate (RW) sponsored this project with the intended end-users of ordnance engineers developing future warheads. We evaluated the AFRL/RW-provided customer needs and analyzed current AM methods. Initial analyses based on customer needs indicated that metal fused fabrication (FFF) was probably a superior printing method for meeting these customer needs. We developed a process to produce sintered parts from a bound metal filament and used several ideation methods to explore green part testing, printing complex structures, and developing an AF9628 filament. Lastly, we performed metallography analysis and microscopic numerical analysis on parts printed by a commercially available FFF printer to validate the overall printing process. This research is the first time that AF9628 has been successfully manufactured using the metal FFF process.”
Full paper published to Aerospace Research Central 3 January 2025 https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2025-1654