Commercial Aircraft Applications for Laser Sintered Polyamides

The Selective laser sintering (SLS) process offers unique capabilities for production of complex, thin-walled geometries with internal features, integral attachments and flanges. The benefits of SLS have been realized on a variety of Boeing military platforms for a number of years. However, applications on commercial aircraft have been limited by material flammability requirements. To address this gap, Boeing, in cooperation with Advanced Laser Materials, developed a flame retardant polyamide material that is now commercially available (ALM FR-106). This paper introduces the general advantages of laser sintering as applied to the manufacturing of flight hardware and a description of the development of the flame retardant material in use.