In our first article on the Worldwide Convention on 3D printing in India, Dr. Das highlighted the necessity for {qualifications} and certifications to extend the expansion and adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) in India. The event of recent supplies and technological processes requires rigorous testing, simulation, and validation to ensure their efficiency beneath numerous situations, equivalent to excessive temperature and stress. 

Increasing on the topic, Dr. Shirish .S. Kale, Director, Centre for Navy Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC), Protection R&D Group (DRDO), Authorities of India stated, “In aerospace and protection, we embrace 3D printed components with unwavering confidence. Rigorous certification and qualification processes guarantee their reliability and precision, heralding a safe and modern future for our {industry}.”

Dr. Kale make clear CEMILAC’s use of 3D printing expertise and the significance of certifications and {qualifications} within the AM sector.

CEMILAC drives ahead additive manufacturing in India

Through the years, CEMILAC has advanced its procedures to make sure design and take a look at adequacy, fulfilling its major duty for all army air helicopter methods within the nation. With its amenities in Hyderabad and Bangalore, CEMILAC has efficiently indigenized and licensed over 100 steel alloys, polymers, and composite merchandise for army initiatives, aspiring to leverage this ecosystem for AM supplies. A devoted chapter throughout the Navy Airworthiness Certification Framework doc explains the design, growth, manufacturing, and certification of army air methods and airborne shops. This doc was unveiled by India’s Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, in 2021.

Dr. Kale highlights that CEMILAC made “important strides” by collaborating with the engineering drive, ensuing within the manufacturing of the primary 3D printed non-critical half in 2019. This half was subsequently certified and licensed, and it’s presently in use in a army plane. In 2020, CEMILAC additionally adopted the identical process for certifying 3D printed parts.

This process marks a big step ahead within the certification of non-critical part growth. Whereas these parts are thought-about non-critical, their high quality isn’t compromised. The supplies used on this course of have acquired certification by materials choice offered by CEMILAC. As well as, CEMILAC has additional superior by establishing a qualification take a look at framework for certifying 3D printed parts, together with machine and materials qualification processes, post-processing, and half qualification. To facilitate these developments, CEMILAC entered right into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ASTM Worldwide in December 2022.

“For essential half certification, comparable approaches are used for uncooked materials course of growth and preliminary upper-level testing. In 3D printing, course of variability and materials efficiency are very important. Statistical course of management monitoring is important for assessing mechanical and different properties, serving as the ultimate statistical checkpoint,” added Dr. Kale.

Bridging the hole between academia and {industry} to advance 3D printing

In its efforts, CEMILAC is actively engaged within the growth of components, collaborating carefully with establishments such because the Indian Institute of Expertise (IITs) and MITs, with their analysis supported by DRDO funding. It’s noteworthy that academia possesses important infrastructure for materials testing, typically underutilized by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This collaborative effort not solely strengthens ties between {industry} and academia but in addition facilitates reciprocal studying. MSMEs, specifically, stand to profit by tapping into the superior amenities of establishments like IITs, searching for counsel from area specialists, all whereas receiving certification assist from CEMILAC. Moreover, academia extends its experience to startups and incubation facilities by industry-backed initiatives.

Dr. Kale highlighted the mannequin of collaboration and its relevance in advancing 3D printing expertise. Whereas quite a few R&D organizations and Facilities of Excellence (CoE) home ample information assets, there exists a “disconnect between this reservoir of data and the commercial sector.” To propel ‘Make in India‘ onto the worldwide stage, standardizing processes and supplies is deemed crucial.

DRDO’s roadmap to boost Indian AM sector

Dr. T. Ram Prabhu, Joint Director, Regional Centre of Navy Airworthiness (RCMA), CEMILAC – DRDO Laboratory defined DRDO’s roadmap and actions carried out with the Indian Air Pressure (IAF.) He first emphasised the significance of the powder reuse technique, protecting facets like allowable powder reuse, methodology, property variations, and certification standards. These factors must be strengthened within the AM sector by collaboration between {industry} specialists and academia, he stated. Educational researchers, working alongside organizations like DRDO and others, can deal with materials reuse to deal with points equivalent to contamination, moisture, particle dimension distribution, storage situations, and extra.

Dr. Prabhu elaborated on how qualification and certification processes supply potential enhancements to productiveness. Relying on part geometry, the 3D printing of components sometimes requires a number of days. To expedite this, using a number of high-powered lasers may be thought-about, sustaining security and reliability requirements. Moreover, harnessing machine studying (ML) and synthetic intelligence (AI) permits for course of optimization, complete understanding of course of parameters, and real-time sensor information utilization to detect anomalies, specializing in floor roughness and microstructures. The utilization of generative design software program can facilitate the creation of modern designs tailor-made for AM, providing numerous benefits by way of weight discount and enhanced efficiency, as highlighted by the Joint Director.

Lastly, lattice constructions must also be an vital focus of the AM sector. As per his insights, these constructions supply “super potential” for numerous purposes, enhancing properties equivalent to damping capability, crashworthiness, stiffness, and thermal conductivity. Moreover, they successfully scale back weight resulting from their inherent anti-structural nature. “This analysis space has good potential for replica of the non-vertical construction in typical plane,” concluded Dr. Prabhu.

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Featured picture reveals CEMILAC headquarters. Picture by way of CEMILAC.