Application Definition
Optimization & Manufacturing Challenges
Velo3D Enablement
Engineers use pressure vessels to hold vital fluids under high pressure. Often found in satellites or rocket engines, these seemingly simple components are often critical to mission success and can be challenging to manufacture due to advanced plumbing features and light weighting.
When designing metal pressure vessels for high value vehicles, designers focus on a few key points. Obviously, they need to maximize strength and minimize weight but, it is also common that they need to conform to tight packaging and be able to quickly adjust the shape in response to changes elsewhere in the craft.
One of the challenges in manufacturing high pressure vessels through traditional means is in maintaining high mating surface quality. Every weld or joint exposed to high pressure is a point of potential failure and can lower the total pressure that the vessel is capable of holding. This not only compromises the performance of a traditionally manufactured design but also increases the yield loss experienced in manufacturing.
With Velo3D’s fully integrated solution, engineers can print these devices as a homogenous, single unit, reducing part count from dozens to a single component. Furthermore, by printing the part, you have the freedom to achieve the optimal weight to strength ratio. This creates more capacity for revenue generating components to be added to the craft while keeping the total weight down. Engineers can rapidly print the desired shapes and consistently achieve the target mechanical properties.
Velo3D’s system also tracks the print, layer by layer, recording every laser hatch and every recoat with Assure. By monitoring ~1,000 different sensors representing over a terabyte of data, Assure reduces the risk of manufacturing and increases confidence that your pressure vessel will perform as designed.
