LAI International (Tempe, AZ), which provides additive manufacturing solutions to the aerospace, military, energy, and medical industries, hosted the AMS AM Additive Manufacturing Committee as part of an SAE International (Warrendale, PA) conference. The four-day conference, held in mid-October 2017, aimed to advance the development of industry specifications. As part of the conference, 64 aerospace industry technical experts representing the Additive Manufacturing Committee toured the LAI International manufacturing facility in Tempe.
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During their tour of the facility, the Additive Manufacturing Committee saw the equipment, configurations, control, and prototypes that contributed to LAI International becoming a NADCAP-certified additive manufacturing supplier. The company works directly with equipment manufacturers to beta-test processes and procedures.
The engineers behind LAI's additive manufacturing arm are responsible for pushing the process forward for both the company and the manufacturing industry. Adam Rivard, additive manufacturing specialist at LAI, was the lead author of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion specification document during the SAE International conference. In this leadership role, Rivard relied on his own expertise in additive manufacturing while also leveraging the expertise of all other members of the committee.
This document is in response to a request from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA; Washington, DC) and will be the first aerospace-specific document for the powder bed fusion process. The purpose of the document is to set the bar for suppliers around the world to ensure that parts built using laser powder bed fusion technology meet minimum quality standards, and are made in a predictable and repeatable manner.
LAI International's Tempe location is home to its additive manufacturing facility. The company utilizes additive manufacturing as a complement to its more traditional manufacturing options, such as laser, electronic discharge machining (EDM), and waterjet, as well as a standalone production option. Using this technology and engineering expertise, the company works with customers to educate, select, design, build, finish, and certify custom manufactured components.
For more information, please visit www.laico.com and www.sae.org.