UK additive process used to make titanium pressure vessel for space

The piece - which was produced by engineers from Cranfield, Thales Alenia Space, and Glenalmond Technologies - is approximately 1m in height and 8.5kg in mass.

Made of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, it has been deposited using the Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process, which Cranfield University has pioneered over the last decade.

Thanks to being able to go straight from digital drawing to final structure, WAAM has integrated two individual pieces into a single part; eliminating the need for long-lead-time forgings, and substantially reduced the amount of waste material removed by machining.

The process has also enabled the team to significantly reduce the mass of the final components and the Cranfield team is now working on methods to deposit closer to the final thickness.

The WAAM shape was manufactured at Cranfield and then sent to Glenalmond Technologies where it was stress-relieved, laser-scanned, machined and inspected using an ultrasonic method. Final inspection was performed by Agiometrix using a computer tomography (CT-scan) for internal quality analysis and an optical scanner, with Thales Alenia Space ensuring that the part met the mechanical requirements and specifications.