Mike Jagemann, Director of XB-1 production, Boom Supersonic “With 3D printing, we’ve been able to obtain parts very quickly and determine that they’re either going to work or that we need to make changes.” “Being able to locate a drill block with a large volume of holes has been a huge manufacturing time saver for us,” says Jagemann. That allowed them to use metrology to accurately position twenty or more holes instead of just one at a time. Instead, the team pivoted and 3D printed more drill blocks, each incorporating multiple holes. As the assembly progressed, however, it became clear that this approach was taking too much time. Initially, Boom developed tooling that relies on metrology to position one hole at time. The biggest savings so far, both in cost and time, has been the ability to make custom drill blocks to accurately locate the many fastener holes that pepper the XB-1’s airframe. “That shortens the supply chain on certain components that are a good fit for 3D printing,” adds Jagemann. The advantage is the ability to optimize the engineering workflow, leaving these components to the very end of the design process because they can quickly be printed in-house. When the part is printed, they can check the fit.” Manufacturing these parts using traditional methods would be more expensive and too slow.īeing able to print parts like hydraulic line clamps that will fly on the XB-1 is another critical time saver. “Rather than spend eight hours in CAD trying to check space constraints, the engineer can continue working on other things. “With 3D printing, we’ve been able to obtain parts very quickly and determine that they’re either going to work or that we need to make changes,” says Jagemann. Boom uses 3D-printed parts to check for proper fit and alignment, saving valuable engineering time. One of 3D printing’s biggest benefits is time savings, and the company estimates it has saved hundreds of hours thanks to the technology. Mike Jagemann, Director of XB-1 production, had previous experience with 3D printing and brought in two Stratasys 3D printers – an F370™ and Fortus 450mc™- right away to help with prototyping.īoom later added a Stratasys F900™ 3D printer to expand beyond prototyping to include the additive manufacturing of tooling and production parts, and the company has since 3D printed hundreds of parts and prototypes. Pièce aérospatiale imprimée en 3D Fast and Nimble Thanks to 3D Printingįrom the start, the Boom team knew 3D printing was going to play a crucial role in the development of XB-1, and ultimately for Overture. Now, the company is ready to take its first major step toward its ultimate goal with the first flight of its one-third scale demonstrator aircraft, the XB-1, next year, following an unveiling event this October. Today’s aerodynamic design capability, material properties and engine performance have mostly overcome the issues that grounded the last supersonic aircraft.Ĭombined with the manufacturing benefits of 3D printing, Boom is well positioned to meet its goal. Fortunately, aircraft technology has advanced a lot in 50 years. This time around,īoom, as a private company, is working within a business context, in order to ensure that the end product, Overture, can be profitable for its customers and the company itself. The last time paying passengers flew supersonic it was a government-driven Cold War-era prestige project involving a consortium of large, established aerospace companies joining together and spending more than ten years and an enormous amount of development resources and risk to make it happen. What Boom is trying to accomplish isn’t for the faint-hearted. XB-1 Plane Production Big Ideas Come With Big Challenges To bring it to life, Boom has embraced 3D printing in nearly every facet of the aircraft’s development.
Overture will be the world’s fastest airliner and will cut long-distance flight time almost in half, making it possible for more people to go more places more often. Technology advancements and the growing prevalence of global travel create a market opportunity for Overture, the company’s flagship airliner. Earlier attempts at commercial supersonic flight were unable to achieve sustainability, economically or environmentally. Boom is a growing company with a big idea – to make supersonic air travel mainstream. That’s the story behind Boom Supersonic, an aerospace company located near Denver. But when you launch a new company aimed at building the first supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde, you need to embrace it, be agile and think big. Uncertainty is arguably what most business leaders fear most. Boom use the Stratasys F370, Fortus 450mc, and Stratasys F900 production 3D printers to create models for Fit and Alignment saving valuable engineering time. Learn how Boom Supersonic use 3D Printed Aerospace Parts to help them challenge what’s possible in commercial flights.