From way back to Historic Greece and the parable of Daedalus and Icarus, the notion of human flight has intrigued humankind. Within the final many years, nonetheless, human flight has advanced past a mere parable into actuality. That is largely because of the pioneering work of Richard Browning, founding father of Gravity Industries and inventor of the Jet Swimsuit, in addition to applied sciences like 3D printing which have enabled him to innovate and break down limitations.
Browning began on his human flight journey in 2016, when he bought his first jet engine and started growing a jetpack that may culminate in a primary take a look at flight in November 2016. Inside lower than a yr, Browning had garnered vital curiosity in his gravity-defying enterprise and based Gravity Industries with assist from numerous sponsorships and traders like Tim Draper.
With these assets, Browning introduced on numerous companions to assist the refinement of his human flight system, together with UK-based AM service Ricoh 3D, whose polypropylene materials match the necessities for the Jet Swimsuit.
“The collaboration between Gravity and Ricoh 3D emerged from an opportune match of wants and capabilities round 2019,” defined Mark Dickin, Additive Manufacturing & Moulding Engineering Supervisor at Ricoh 3D. “Gravity, recognized for its revolutionary human flight programs, present in Ricoh 3D the proper companion as a result of our experience and materials choices. Gravity reached out to Ricoh 3D for our flagship polypropylene materials, satisfied that the fabric can be a perfect match.”
3D printing polypropylene
Polypropylene (PP) is a polyolefin materials that has broad functions in industries like packaging, client items and healthcare as a result of its light-weight and temperature resistant properties. The fabric can also be recognized for its power, chemical resistance and suppleness. For the reason that materials is effectively established for end-use functions, having the ability to 3D print polypropylene implies that customers can quickly prototype utilizing the end-use materials for superior testing and validation processes. This has confirmed invaluable to Gravity Industries within the creation of its human flight programs.
“In essence, Gravity’s resolution to work with Ricoh 3D stemmed from its want to construct jet fits that mix thoughts, physique and machine, which finally required a cloth that mimicked natural matter and would allow a flight expertise that was each snug and secure,” Dickin stated. “Ricoh 3D’s flagship materials, polypropylene, ticked each field.”
Browning additionally commented on the significance of Ricoh 3D’s PP materials: “Our partnership with Ricoh 3D has proven that something is feasible while you mix collectively entrepreneurship and technological innovation. People are extraordinarily strong, and that’s all the way down to the forgiving nature of our our bodies: we bend and flex, lowering the affect after we fall. That’s what polypropylene mimics. I’ve all the time had a ardour for uncommon challenges and venturing into the unknown, so it’s unimaginable to see the dream ignite into life. We’ve constructed up an incredible international footprint since 2017, and Ricoh has enabled us to remodel an ‘inconceivable’ thought into one thing viable for manufacturing.”
3D printed PP has introduced many advantages to Gravity Industries. For one, elements will be iterated much more quickly in comparison with extra standard metallic elements. Dickin elaborated: “The Jet Swimsuit is testomony to the tenacity of engineering. By pushing the boundaries with each 3D printing and polypropylene, we’re showcasing what’s attainable when you may have the best experience and ingenuity. 3D printed polypropylene is 90% recyclable, light-weight and versatile whereas nonetheless being extremely sturdy– very best for taking to the skies. Beforehand it might take greater than two weeks to customized construct the core Swimsuit construction out of aluminum riveting and bolt collectively manually. Print time is now simply 24 hours, taking meeting time from two weeks to 2 days.
Designing the Jet Swimsuit
In fact, polypropylene is only one a part of the equation, 3D printing applied sciences themselves have been central to the conclusion of the Jet Swimsuit, which will be customized ordered for £380,000 (~$482K) or examined at Gravity Industries’ Flight Facility outdoors of London for a pair thousand kilos.
Browning emphasised the function of 3D printing in streamlining the Jet Swimsuit’s design by way of half consolidation and bettering its operate by way of clever design. “The design freedom of 3D printed polypropylene reduces the Swimsuit’s half depend considerably by consolidating a number of assemblies into one, with far fewer parts to connect and bolt than can be vital with different manufacturing strategies,” he stated. “Polypropylene additionally makes it attainable to create multifunctional parts, with a number of inner circulation elements which transfer air by way of the Swimsuit to maintain it cool.”
Charlie Kelsey, a junior engineer at Ricoh 3D who makes a speciality of next-gen engineering design, mentioned how the staff used nTop software program to optimize 3D printed Jet Swimsuit parts. “By leveraging DfAM ideas, Ricoh 3D has supported the co-creation of parts that are optimized for additive manufacturing,” he stated. “This strategy has allowed for the creation of advanced geometries, together with undercuts and blind holes, that conventional manufacturing strategies can not obtain. In brief, using nTop software program, Ricoh 3D has optimized designs to cut back pointless materials, thus minimizing weight whereas sustaining structural integrity.”
For instance, Gravity Industries turned to Ricoh 3D when it wished to cut back materials utilization for Jet Swimsuit elements with out compromising efficiency or high quality. Kelsey led the optimization course of, utilizing nTop software program to generate a triangular honeycomb isogrid lattice with variable beam thickness on the jetpack’s inner faces. The variable construction of the lattice was designed to be able to present most power close to the jet pack’s vertices, whereas minimizing the element’s weight by over 15%.
Once we ask what challenges arose within the optimization of 3D printed Jet Swimsuit elements, Kelsey cited knowledge processing as a key hurdle—which was fortuitously overcome—and pointed to the chances for much more design enhancements for enhanced efficiency. “One of many main challenges confronted was managing giant datasets, however fortuitously, Ricoh 3D’s digital capabilities ensured each pace and accuracy,” Kelsey informed us. “Secondly, regardless of the progress made on the fits, there stays vital room for additional optimization. Future efforts will give attention to further lightweighting and exploring totally different lattice constructions to attain desired efficiency positive factors. This iterative, agile strategy has been key to steady enchancment, aligning with RICOH’s personal Kaizen tradition.”
Subsequent steps for human flight
At this stage in Ricoh 3D and Gravity Industries’ partnership, the businesses are working to enhance the Jet Swimsuit expertise and the manufacturing effectivity behind it. “The aim is to allow larger Jet Swimsuit efficiency, cut back the manufacturing lead time and cut back the manufacturing value,” Dickin defined. “This includes design adjustments to permit the go well with to stand-up to the damage and tear from getting used to assist real-world industrial functions equivalent to Search and Rescue.”
Certainly, Search and Rescue is a key utility space for Browning’s Jet Swimsuit expertise, because the human flight resolution might be used to quickly deploy first responders and rescue groups to hard-to-reach areas. Notably, Gravity Industries participated in a pilot challenge with Nice North Air Ambulance (GNAA) to check human flight within the Lake District, the place the hilly and craggy panorama is troublesome for helicopters to land on. In September 2020, Browning carried out a take a look at flight at Langdale Pikes, flying to the underside of a valley in simply 90 seconds (a climb would have taken roughly 25 minutes).
“Who stated folks can’t fly for good causes?” Dickin identified. “By integrating coaching modules and aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Improvement Targets (SDGs), Ricoh 3D hopes to assist Gravity and additional broaden the go well with’s utility and social affect.”
By way of the Jet Swimsuit’s manufacturing, Gravity Industries and Ricoh 3D are progressing on an on-demand foundation. Evidently, the extremely superior Jet Fits usually are not being mass produced, so additive manufacturing additionally presents an economically viable manufacturing expertise for the small manufacturing volumes and excessive diploma of customization concerned within the Jet Swimsuit. Dickin stated on the subject: “Presently, manufacturing is tailor-made to satisfy demand, with potential for scaling up by way of injection molding and different manufacturing options. Ricoh 3D, by way of its bespoke ‘Uncover Rework Maintain’ providing, goals to supply a complete resolution, supporting Gravity’s progress and the event of future-generation fits. The thrilling partnership stays dynamic, adapting to growing demand and technological developments. Watch this area…”
Finally, Ricoh 3D’s PP 3D printing materials and AM design experience have been and nonetheless are integral to the conclusion of Gravity Industries’ revolutionary human flight resolution. The partnership has additionally enabled Ricoh 3D to push the boundaries of its capabilities and uncover larger course of effectivity. “Ricoh 3D has been instrumental within the evolution of Gravity’s flight programs,” Dickin concluded. “Initially, Ricoh 3D offered ‘A-to-B’ 3D printing companies primarily based on particular necessities, permitting for fast iteration. We additionally labored on our inner programs and tailor-made designs to go well with our personal industry-leading construct chambers, making certain parts had been printed in a single piece for enhanced power.
“With customer-centricity a key focus of the enterprise, the staff collaborated and streamlined the end-to-end (E2E) workflow, together with fast de-powdering processes and optimizing materials use from Polypropylene (PP) to PA12. This co-creation effort, supported by superior design instruments like nTop, has enabled Gravity to attain unprecedented design freedom and performance.”
This text was initially revealed in VoxelMatters’ VM Focus Aerospace eBook. Learn or obtain the complete eBook without spending a dime at this hyperlink.
