Chapter 1237 Producing an engine in twenty minutes

  "Metal 3D printing? That is, metal additive manufacturing?"

Hearing Zhuang Jianye’s words, the senior researcher of a certain mechanical research institute squinted his eyes and looked at Zhuang Jianye non-committal, then raised the small turbojet engine in his hand in front of him, and asked again very seriously: "Comrade Zhuang Jianye , Are you sure that all such engines are made of metal additive manufacturing?"

  In fact, not only this senior researcher, but other members of the research team with technical background also looked at Zhuang Jianye with weird eyes.

  The five characters "How is this possible" were all written in the same surprised eyes.

  It’s no wonder that senior researchers and others have such an attitude. It is really metal 3D printing, or metal additive manufacturing, although it is at the forefront of the process manufacturing field, it also convinces many people that this technology represents the future development direction of industrial manufacturing.

But the future is not yet here, after all, it is impossible to solve the current problems, especially for high value-added industrial products like aero engines that require a large number of high-precision metal forgings, metal 3D printing is more of a gimmick. .

  The reason is very simple. Because of its natural flaws, this type of technology cannot be practically applied in fields that require ultra-high metal strength.

  There is no way, it is true that metal 3D printing at this time cannot make special parts with the same level of high mechanical strength as high-precision forgings. In other words, metal 3D printing can at most be similar in shape, but cannot achieve the same.

  Because the internal metal structure of metal parts in the aerospace field basically needs crystals to be arranged neatly, so as to meet the structural strength requirements, because of this, high-precision forgings will become popular.

  In the case of metal 3D printing, the metal structure inside the parts produced is a flocculent structure with poor structural strength and often cracks and fractures.

  If this is not the case, how could the developed countries in Europe and the United States, which were the first to invent and have been widely used, put such a good alternative equipment and continue to specialize in the old precision forging process?

After so many years of research, it has been discovered that metal 3D printing technology has nothing but a virtual reality, especially in the United States. Since the end of the 1970s, it has repeatedly invested heavily in the field of metal 3D printing and researched for more than ten years. The F-18 fighter jet and F-404 turbofan engine were tested with core components made of metal 3D printing technology. The results showed that the mechanical strength of these parts was too poor, even the entry-level aviation safety standards could not be reached. Not to mention higher-performance military equipment.

  So the Americans came to the conclusion that metal 3D printing can at best be used to repair parts of this level in the field of aviation maintenance, and the rest is to customize high-level toy models for children.

Based on this judgment, the Americans will publicly transfer the metal 3D printing technology patents that have been retained for nearly 30 years. Anyway, they are all useless things. It is wasteful to keep them in their hands. It is better to market them and earn a patent fee. .

  At this moment, the United States is the absolute king of the world's science and technology field. Even if the conclusions they draw are not truths, they are theorems, let alone refutations, and there are no voices of doubt.

  After all, technologies like metal 3D printing not only require time, but also a huge amount of capital investment. Other countries don’t have the ability to tie it together. So what is there to question?

  Anyway, Americans will not cheat themselves. If they keep good things, can they not keep them?

  Because of this, the Americans asserted that the application prospects of metal 3D printing in the aerospace field are not big, and the conclusion is quickly accepted by the world aerospace manufacturing field.

As a good student in China who crossed the river by touching the American emperor, he naturally believed in the conclusion that the U.S. emperor had spent a lot of money, so like other countries, he became interested in additive manufacturing technology including metal 3D printing technology. Missing.

  Except for a few individual projects that have already been launched and paid for, most of the additive manufacturing technology projects are either forced to dismount or cut directly.

  Among them, China Ascendas retains the most projects with additive manufacturing technology, but only two of them.

  Even so, the name of China's Ascendas application is not aerospace industry manufacturing, but aircraft and spacecraft system maintenance.

  After all, China Ascendas has four large aviation maintenance plants and a spacecraft inspection center. The maintenance business accounts for 12.4% of China Ascendas' total business, which is not a small proportion. It is normal to do some special maintenance equipment.

  It’s just that senior researchers and others didn’t expect that Zhuang Jianye would apply it to large-scale industrial production for equipment in the maintenance field, and it was not an ordinary thing, but the most complex aero engine.

Even if this engine is only a small turbojet engine used in foreign trade cruise missiles, and it is still a low-life one-time consumable, but even so, if there is no high-precision forging as support, even if it is a one-time turbojet, It will also be scrapped early due to insufficient structural strength during operation.

  By then, cruise missiles will not be cruise missiles, but a large artillery battle that explodes in the air.

  Because of this, the senior researcher who looked directly at Zhuang Jianye after serious questioning, re-certified and added: "This matter is very important, Comrade Zhuang Jianye, I hope you can take it seriously!"

   means I'm joking with you again?

  Zhuang Jianye was slandering in his heart, but he still smiled on the face: "As the saying goes, hearing is not, seeing is believing. Leaders are still here, and next to our WD-18 highly integrated small turbojet engine production workshop."

   "You didn't set up a special production plant for this small turbojet engine?"

   Hearing that the small turbojet engine in his hand was produced in the supporting workshop next to the cruise missile, the senior researcher immediately opened his eyes in surprise.

You must know that this small military turbojet is not a civilian product on the model. The requirements are still very high. At least there are thousands of parts inside. Not to mention the existence of the average aviation level in China, which is the developed countries in Europe and the United States. Of small engines will also set up a special production plant for professional processing and production.

  But China Ascendas actually used this core equipment as a supporting package and placed it next to the cruise missile assembly workshop.

You know that the senior researcher before entering the door has seen that the surrounding factories are not big, and want to provide the production efficiency of a cruise missile that goes offline in less than three minutes~lightnovelpub.net~ The production efficiency of a small turbojet engine must at least match It is synchronized, otherwise there will be no supply at all.

  Traditional forging manufacturing obviously cannot do this. Is it possible that China Ascendas really uses metal 3D printing technology to make small turbojet engines?

Zhuang Jianye did not directly answer the surprise of the senior researcher. Instead, he smiled and said: "Leaders should still check it out." Then he gestured to an exit, then raised his leg and walked over. The senior researcher and others With three points of doubt, seven points of curiosity followed.

  Quickly walked through the workshop, then walked through a long corridor, put on dust-proof clothing and dust-proof cap, and entered a medium-sized dust-proof workshop. Then the senior researchers and others were stunned by the scene in front of them.

I saw ten processing equipment more than two meters long and more than one meter high. All of them were processing various parts of the WD-18 small turbojet engine. As the processing was completed, the sound of the prompt sounded one after another. The consoles of the five equipment were opened one after another, and a manipulator took the parts out and put them on a small lifting belt. The workers who were already ready quickly assembled these parts together according to the process, and then ignited the test drive for 5 minutes. After that, stop to cool down and wait for encapsulation.

   Such a cycle, an average of half an hour has a WD-18 turbojet engine assembly test completed, this efficiency is almost...

  (End of this chapter)