Morf3d, Inc. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: DLA202-001

Description

On the America Makes Maturation of Additive Manufacturing for Low Cost Sustainment Phase 2 (MAMLS Phase 2), UDRI and partners discovered that the TF34 Fuel Cooled Oil Cooler (NSN: 2935010370494/160064-1-1) has seen drastic increases in purchase price and lead time for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in recent history. On that program, UDRI developed a hybrid manufacturing approach to FCOC production which leverages Additive Manufacturing (AM) in conjunction with traditional manufacturing techniques to lower manufacturing cost and lead time. This development was prompted by the challenges associated with non-destructive inspection and powder removal of fully AM heat exchangers. By approaching the manufacture of FCOC heat exchangers with a process agnostic mindset, it can be seen that, in low-volume, sustainment applications, AM is best utlized for replacement of costly castings. The remaining components can be produced with high quality and low cost through traditional means. As seen in Figure 1, inspection and powder removal of the printed components becomes trivial because full line-of-sight access is granted.             Transitioning that research into commercialization, Morf3D, in partnership with UDRI, Honeywell, and Macy Consulting, are proposing the establishment of a small business supply chain which will  manufacture replacement TF34 FCOCs for the DLA leveraging the existing Technology Data Package (TDP) from Honeywell, under a licensing agreement, with modifications for the hybrid manufacturing process to be co-developed by Morf3D, UDRI and Honeywell.             This small business supply chain will provide problematic parts to the DLA with decreases in cost and lead time. This supply chain will forge a new pathway for the development and supply of many hard to source NSN parts. Additionally, this effort will successfully transition technologies developed on previous AFRL and DLA funded efforts. By partnering with Honeywell, and licensing existing TDP data and proven process specification, the threshold for the qualification of this part can be drastically reduced, substantially lowering the risk of a successful outcome and full transition to the program of record (A-10).