The National Science Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to the University of Toledo for research into how a particular type of aircraft part could be made better by additive manufacturing, also known as 3-D printing.
“This $50,000 award will allow the University of Toledo to develop necessary and efficient strategies for further scientific innovation in the aerospace industry,” U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said in a statement announcing the grant, which “highlights Toledo as a leader in additive manufacturing, an increasingly important area for the next generation of domestic manufacturing.”
Making nickel titanium aerospace actuators using 3-D printing offers the potential to reduce that system’s weight aboard airplanes by eliminating hydraulics, according to the statement. That may reduce the risk of fires during emergencies, and the technology could also have applications for satellite and rocket manufacturing.
“This award provides us with the ability to explore the potential users that value using additive manufacturing to advance the performance of shape memory alloys,” said Mohammed Elahinia, chairman of UT’s department of mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering.
First Published February 27, 2021, 12:55 a.m.
