Additive manufacturing has progressed rapidly, and the unique attributes of the layer-wise material consolidation are attracting ever increasing application potentials in critical sectors such as medical and aerospace industries. A lack of materials options has been the main bottleneck for the much wider uptake of these promising new technologies. Inventing new material alternatives has been central to most of the research attention in additive manufacturing in recent times. The current research is focused on evaluating the polyphenylsulfone polymer powders for the first time as fire-resistant candidate materials for processing by selective laser sintering, the most promising additive processing method for polymeric material systems. Experimental evaluations were undertaken based on a selective laser sintering test bed. Single layer and multi-layer samples were produced for microstructural and mechanical characterisations. The microstructural evaluations and the mechanical property results indicate sufficient intra- and inter-layer consolidation together with reasonable tensile property responses. The lower viscosity and thermal conductivity characteristics rendered lower tensile strengths, which will require some further attention in the future, for better consolidation and mechanical properties.

Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) provides a unique means of inferring geophysical conditions of the Earth’s surface without the need for costly, and often infeasible, in-situ climate monitoring systems. As part of NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, and in conjunction with Air New Zealand, we are taking the novel approach of mounting a GNSS-R receiver on a commercial aircraft, which shall allow for an unprecedented collection of climate data over and around the islands of New Zealand. Such data include inundation and coastal dynamics, and soil moisture content and variability. We report back to the community how the OpenSky Network data support our climate monitoring research. We discuss how we use the historical database state-vectors to simulate and visualise the predicted geographical coverage of the airborne GNSS-R receiver. We also discuss how the live API can help monitor our payload in-flight, our investigations into the OpenSky ADS-B coverage over New Zealand, and our plans to expand the coverage.

The occurrence of fire in a confined environment surrounded by polymeric components can lead to disastrous consequences. This makes it essential to consider flame-retardant polymers in critical applications, such as aircraft, automobile, and building interior designs. Conventional flame-retardant methods are dependent on either adding halogen or phosphorous based chemicals to achieve the required attributes. There are also polymeric options that are intrinsically fire-resistant and can satisfy the fire safety regulatory standards such as the UL94 or FAR 25.853. However, the window of options is quite narrow, considering other aspects such as the eco-friendliness, mechanical or chemical properties, and processing difficulties. On the other hand, additive manufacturing technologies are gaining ground in recent times, gradually making application potentials in both automotive and aerospace industries. Considering the point-by-point or line-by-line material consolidation mechanics, the fire-retardant options will further shrink if they have to be processed by additive methods. Research has led to specific options such as the Nylon FR series, ULTEM series, PAEK, and PEEK, processed by both selective laser sintering and fused deposition modelling. This paper reviews the current state of the additive processing of fire-retardant materials, clearly elucidating the material, process, structure, and property relationships and the fire-retardant standards.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has made long strides in the recent past and rapidly evolved into a promising alternative in specific applications. The aircraft industry is not an exception to this. The true just-intime production possibility is critical for the aircraft maintenance industries, though the lack of material freedom is a major hurdle. Several fire-retardant materials were investigated for AM in the aerospace context, but mainly for fused deposition modeling (FDM). The material consolidation constraints in FDM led to the expansion to the use of selective laser sintering (SLS) to some extent. Nevertheless, the material options are still limited, proprietary, and lack scientific insights into the material consolidation mechanics. Attempts are made in this paper to fill this gap, evaluating a new fire-retardant material for processing by SLS. Experiments conducted to ascertain the material, process, structure, and consolidation relationships indicated energy density levels 0.062–0.070 J/mm^2 with laser power 13 W and scan speed varied slightly around 390 mm/s to give the best laser sintering and mechanical property results in polyetherimide powders.

Considering the stringent regulations, manufacturing of aircraft parts is often quite complex and time consuming. The multi-million components, multi-tier manufacturing systems and the severe constraints surrounding the sector lead to heavy inventory investments to achieve the just-in-time supply of parts often needed to reduce the airplane ground times. Additive manufacturing evolved allowing for the direct production of complex parts based on digital data with no complex tooling or machinery, a messiah of true just in time production. Appropriate integration of additive manufacturing with the aircraft industry could resolve some of the supply chain and inventory hurdles. Significant progress is already evident in these lines, but the lack of quality assurance attributes and certification standards is hampering the progress. The state-of-the-art of the application of additive manufacturing in the aircraft industry is reviewed in this paper. The supply chain configurations of the aircraft industry, the possible roles of additive manufacturing in relaxing the pressures in the system are evaluated. The application areas, enhanced attributes, and certification standards are critically reviewed and classified. The overall growth in the application of additive manufacturing in the aircraft industry, the main hurdles, and the future possibilities are evaluated and presented systematically, clearly portraying the developments.

Considering the stringent regulations, manufacturing of aircraft parts is often quite complex and time consuming. The multi-million components, multi-tier manufacturing systems and the severe constraints surrounding the sector lead to heavy inventory investments to achieve the just-in-time supply of parts often needed to reduce the airplane ground times. Additive manufacturing evolved allowing for the direct production of complex parts based on digital data with no complex tooling or machinery, a messiah of true just in time production. Appropriate integration of additive manufacturing with the aircraft industry could resolve some of the supply chain and inventory hurdles. Significant progress is already evident in these lines, but the lack of quality assurance attributes and certification standards is hampering the progress. The state-of-the-art of the application of additive manufacturing in the aircraft industry is reviewed in this paper. The supply chain configurations of the aircraft industry, the possible roles of additive manufacturing in relaxing the pressures in the system are evaluated. The application areas, enhanced attributes, and certification standards are critically reviewed and classified. The overall growth in the application of additive manufacturing in the aircraft industry, the main hurdles, and the future possibilities are evaluated and presented systematically, clearly portraying the developments.