A state-of-the-art Air Force Research Laboratory testing capability for new additive manufactured heat exchangers (HX) is now up and running and is already providing AFRL’s Maturation of Advanced Manufacturing for Low-cost Sustainment, or MAMLS, program with valuable data on the advantages and limitations of producing fuel-oil coolers, a type of heat exchanger, via additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.

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MAMLS, a congressional-funded program managed by AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing directorate and executed through America Makes Manufacturing Institute, is focused on helping the Air Force apply additive manufacturing and other emerging advanced technologies for continued, low-cost effective maintenance and sustainment of legacy aircraft.

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The average lifespan of an Air Force aircraft is 27 years, and critical parts are often out of production due to obsolescence, cost to create and low quantity requirements. Additive manufactured parts, including fuel-oil coolers, can help the Air Force circumvent these obstacles. The MAMLS project […]

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