Articles
Airbus has almost halved the weight of the partitions it uses to separate sections inside its A320 aircraft by using a combination of “generative” design techniques and 3D printing.
If used in all of the A320 aircraft on order at Airbus, the partition, which is 30kg lighter than current designs, could save around 465,000 tons of CO2 emissions every year.
The partition, which is also the world’s largest 3D printed airplane cabin component, has been developed over five years with Autodesk using the software company's generative design technique.
Generative design uses algorithms and cloud computing to generate hundreds of thousands of design alternatives to meet specific goals and constraints.
The unusual lattice design generated mimics cellular structure and bone growth, instead of the honeycomb structure used in the current partitions, to produce a structure that is both stronger and lighter. The bionic partition meets all the design and structural requirements, including specific cutouts and weight limits.
Jeff Kowalski, chief technology officer of Autodesk, said: “Generative design, additive manufacturing and the development of new materials are already transforming the shape of manufacturing and innovative companies like Airbus are showing what is possible. This is not just an interesting hypothetical experiment – this is a fully functioning component we can expect to see being deployed in aircraft in the very near future.”
The wall is made from Scalmalloy, a second-generation aluminium-magnesium-scandium alloy powder developed specifically by Airbus for 3D printing laser sintering machines. The metal has many of the properties of aluminium, but stretches more before breaking.
Peter Sander, vice president of emerging technologies and concepts, Airbus, said: “The collaboration has proved very successful. These technologies will ultimately revolutionise the way we design and build aircraft, enabling improvements in fuel efficiency, passenger comfort and a drastic reduction in the environmental footprint of air transport overall.”
Laboratory crash tests of the new partition are scheduled for next month and the first flight tests for the new 'bionic' partition are scheduled for next year.