Titanium aerospace bracket DMLS metal 3D printing.

Project overview

ASTCAD partnered with an Australian aerospace subcontractor to convert a billet-machined Ti-6Al-4V bracket into a topology-optimised DMLS-printed equivalent. The new design carries the same loads with a 47% mass reduction and is fully qualified to AS 9100D requirements for flight service.

The challenge

The original bracket was overengineered — machined from billet for manufacturing convenience rather than load efficiency. The customer needed equivalent mechanical performance with significantly reduced mass for an aerospace application, plus full traceability and qualification documentation for flight service.

Our approach

• FEA-driven topology optimisation in nTopology
• DMLS print orientation analysis for support minimisation
• Heat-treatment protocol per ASTM F3001 (Ti-6Al-4V annealing)
• Post-print machining for critical interface surfaces
• Full qualification documentation per AS 9100D

Deliverables

• Topology-optimised bracket (47% lighter than original)
• FEA validation report with material allowables
• Manufacturing process documentation
• Material certifications and lot traceability
• Qualification test data and AS 9100D documentation

Outcome

The bracket passed qualification testing and entered low-rate production. Mass savings have been replicated across two other component families in the customer’s product line. The customer’s downstream aerospace integrator has approved the part for production aircraft installation.