Published 10/10/2017

Investment Casting Builds Lightweight Airplane Seat Frames

The frames could have been 3D printed in metal, but for economic production, investment casting proved to be the best option.

Stephanie Hendrixson

Editor-in-Chief, Additive Manufacturing | Manufacturing Connected

This lightweight airplane seat frame may look like something that was 3D printed, but in fact it was manufactured using a very old technology: investment casting.

Lattices, organic designs and lightweight parts are all keywords commonly associated with the promise of additive manufacturing (AM). But sometimes these features and attributes can also be achieved through more conventional means. A recent project undertaken by Autodesk illustrates this point, using a very old technology: investment casting.

The goal of the project was to produce an airplane seat frame that would be lighter than the original design but just as strong. The initial design, featuring an organic lattice structure, was intended to be 3D printed in aluminum, but the cost of this process and the part’s size led researchers to look elsewhere for a manufacturing method.

Investment casting proved to be the best choice, as it is better understood, offers more material options and was more economical for this part than 3D printing. However, like 3D printing, investment casting still enables the production of complex geometries. The research team was able to keep the latticed seat frame design, but had it cast in magnesium for a total cost savings of 56 percent over conventional aluminum seats.

Although 3D printing wasn’t used as the production technology, it did play a role in the investment casting process. Read the full story on additivemanufacturing.media to learn more.

Related Content

OEMs Showcase Hybrid Manufacturing Applications

Mazak and Mastercam worked together to demonstrate the viability of hybrid additive/subtractive machining techniques at a recent event held in Florence, Kentucky.
6 Trends in Additive Manufacturing Technology

IMTS 2024 features a larger Additive Manufacturing Pavilion than ever before, with veteran suppliers alongside startups and newcomers at the front of the West Building. As you browse these exhibitors, as well as booths found elsewhere at the show, keep an eye out for these trends in AM.
Digital Transparency in Machining Key to Multi-Site Additive Manufacturing

Cumberland Additive’s CNC programmer in Pennsylvania spends most of his time writing programs for machine tools in Texas.