what is aluminum rapid prototyping for Aerospace industry

Aluminum rapid prototyping in the aerospace industry refers to the use of rapid prototyping techniques and processes specifically with aluminum materials to quickly create functional prototypes of aerospace components or systems. This approach allows aerospace engineers and designers to rapidly iterate and test their designs, accelerating the development timeline and improving the efficiency of the prototyping phase.

Aluminum is a preferred material for aerospace prototyping due to its favorable properties, including its lightweight nature, high strength-to-weight ratio, good machinability, and excellent thermal conductivity. These properties make it suitable for various aerospace applications where weight reduction, strength, and heat management are critical factors.

The process of aluminum rapid prototyping in the aerospace industry typically involves the following steps:

Design: Aerospace engineers and designers generate 3D CAD models of the component or system they want to prototype. These models capture the geometry, dimensions, and functional requirements of the part.

Selecting a Rapid Prototyping Technique: A range of rapid prototyping methods are available for aluminum prototyping, encompassing additive manufacturing (like selective laser melting or fused deposition modeling) and subtractive manufacturing (such as CNC machining or rapid tooling). The choice of method hinges on various factors, including the required detail level, complexity, precision, and the resources at hand.

Prototype Production: The aluminum prototype is fabricated layer by layer using the selected rapid prototyping technique in additive manufacturing, or it is carved from aluminum stock material in subtractive manufacturing. CNC machining is frequently employed for aluminum rapid prototyping, owing to its precision and detail in crafting parts.

Post-Processing and Finishing: After the prototype has been created, it may undergo post-processing procedures like the removal of support structures, sanding, polishing, or applying surface treatments to attain the required surface finish and precision.

Testing and Evaluation: The aluminum prototype undergoes a series of tests and evaluations to measure its performance, functionality, and compatibility with other components or systems. These assessments may encompass structural testing, fit and assembly verification, functional trials, and thermal analysis.

Our Low-volume Manufacturing Capabilities
Barana Rapid has over ten years of low-volume manufacturing services and a robust supply chain. It can produce various parts for you and provide high-quality low-volume manufacturing services. At the same time, we have an experienced team to assist customers in optimizing designs, selecting appropriate processes, reducing costs, and realizing rapid mass production.
	CNC Machining CNC machining is used to control a wide range of complex machinery. It is a computerized manufacturing process that uses pre-programmed software and codes to control the movement of production equipment.	Type	Tolerance
		Linear dimension	±0.025mm-±0.001inch
		Hole Diameters	±0.025mm-±0.001inch
		Shaft Diameters	±0.025mm-±0.001inch
		Part size limit	950 * 550 * 480 mm(37.0 * 21.5 * 18.5 inch)
	Plastic Injection Molding Plastic injection molding is the process of melting plastic resins (thermosetting/thermoplastic polymers) and injecting them under pressure into a mold cavity, where they fill and solidify to form the final product.	Standard capabilities	Description
		Mold cavity tolerances	±0.05 mm
		Standard lead time	15 business days or less
		Part to part repeatability	±0.1 mm
		Production grade	1-100,000 cycles
	Sheet Metal Fabrication Sheet metal fabrication converts flat sheets of steel or aluminum into metal structures or products by cutting, stamping, folding, and assembling.	Dimension Detail	Description
		Edge to edge, single surface / Edge to hole, single surface / Hole to hole, single surface	±0.05 inch
		Bend to edge / hole, single surface	± 0.010 inch
		Edge to feature, multiple surface / Over formed part, multiple surface	± 0.030 inch
		Production grade	1-100,000 cycles
	Vacuum Casting Vacuum casting is a manufacturing process where the material goes into a silicone mold with a vacuum to produce complex production parts.	Standard capabilities	Description
		Maximum build size	±0.025 mm-±0.001 inch
		Standard lead time	Up to 20 parts in 15 days or less
		Dimensional accuracy	±0.05 mm
		Layer thickness	1.5mm - 2.5mm
	Die Casting Die casting is a process of manufacturing parts by pouring or forcing molten metal into steel modes to create various kinds of parts.	Standard capabilities	Description
		Maximum build size	±0.025 mm-±0.001 inch
		Standard lead time	Up to 20 parts in 15 days or less
		Dimensional accuracy	±0.05 mm
		Layer thickness	1.5mm - 2.5mm
	Aluminum Extrusion Aluminum extrusion facilitates the manufacture of complex parts through the process of plastic deformation. Material is forced through a mold or orifice to achieve the desired shape.	Standard capabilities	Description
		Press sizes	450T - 3000T
		Standard lead time	2 weeks for small molds, 4 weeks for larger molds
		Minimum order volume	0.5 ton aluminum for smaller machines, 1.0 ton of 6063 aluminum for larger machines.
		Post-processing	Full service CNC cutting, threading, slotting, face milling, etc.
	3D Printing 3D printing is a manufacturing process in which a three-dimensional part or object is created from a digital 3D or CAD model.	Standard capabilities	Description
		Min. wall thickness	1.0 mm
		Layer height	50 – 300 μm
		Max. build size	250 * 250 * 250 mm (SLA), 420 * 500 * 420 mm (SLS), 500 * 500 * 500 mm (FDM)
		Tolerance	± 0.5% with a lower limit of ± 0.5 mm (± 0.020″)

Iterative Design Optimization: Based on the test results and evaluation feedback, necessary design modifications can be made to improve the prototype. The rapid prototyping process allows for quick iterations, enabling engineers to refine and optimize the design until it meets the required specifications and performance criteria.

Aluminum rapid prototyping in the aerospace industry offers several benefits, including reduced development time, cost savings, improved design validation, accelerated design iterations, and the ability to test and validate concepts before committing to full-scale production. It allows aerospace engineers to quickly visualize, evaluate, and refine their designs, ultimately leading to the development of high-quality aerospace components or systems.

What Separates Barana Rapid’s Inspection Processes from the Rest?

Careful measurement, inspection and testing are necessary to ensure the conformance of your parts. We perform multiple inspections at every step of the product development journey, from incoming material verification to final 3D scanning. You will receive complete digital files and Certificates of Compliance so you can meet your own regulatory and performance goals.

An International Team with Unparalleled Experience

Quality inspection relies not only upon using advanced digital equipment but also having highly trained personnel with years of experience. As parts become more complex and tolerances more demanding for advanced applications, precision measurements conducted by professionals are the only way to ensure perfection.

Inspections and Review for Every Stage of Production

To ensure quality from start to finish, Barana Rapid provides the following inspection and review services:

Extensive incoming materials verification

Design for manufacturing reviews for all quotes provided

Contract reviews upon receipt of POs

First article and in-process inspections

Final inspections and testing with reports and certifications as required

Since 2015, our expertise in the prototyping and production industry has aided both start-ups and established brands in crafting prototypes and products that stand out in the global market. Our commitment to quality and precision is reflected in our advanced machinery and the dedicated team of professionals who work diligently to deliver your products on time. We offer rapid prototyping services at competitive prices, ensuring you receive parts with exceptional precision through cutting-edge manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, 3D printing, vacuum casting, and sheet metal fabrication—all within short lead times.

With precision CNC machining services, Barana Rapid is your ideal partner to create precision machined prototypes and parts. Our standard CNC machining tolerances for metals is ISO 2768-f and for plastics is ISO 2768-m. We can also achieve special tolerances as long as you indicate your requirements for your drawing.

We also provide low-cost manufacturing of high-quality plastic parts. Our vacuum casting services offer short-cycle solutions for creating high-quality prototypes and low-volume production parts. Vacuum casting, or urethane casting, is a method that utilizes a silicone mold and a 3D printed master to produce vacuum-cast parts with consistent performance and production-grade quality. This technology does not require a costly initial investment, enables flexible and economical production, and hardens thermoplastic polyurethane in silicone or epoxy molds. The outcome is a vacuum-cast part that retains the shape of the original master model. The final dimensions of a vacuum-cast part are determined by the master model, the part's geometry, and the selected material.

Our sheet metal fabrication factory offers top-tier custom services, leveraging extensive capabilities in sheet metal stamping, cutting, bending, welding, precision CNC machining, and assembly to deliver superior quality parts. NOBLE's manufacturers employ cutting-edge technology and skilled engineers to guarantee sheet metal parts of unmatched quality, precision, and reliable performance.

Barana Rapid boasts over a decade of expertise in small-batch manufacturing, backed by a stellar team and robust suppliers to fulfill all your small-batch production requirements. Leveraging our extensive experience in small batch molding and our team of exceptional engineers, we are committed to efficiently managing all your small batch machining projects. Our strong supply chain and state-of-the-art equipment for various manufacturing technologies enable us to execute with precision. We guarantee that our wholesale prices will be competitive, we will uphold stringent quality standards, aid clients in design optimization, select the most suitable CNC processing techniques, minimize costs, and facilitate swift mass production. This ensures the delivery of cost-effective and high-precision products to you.

Regardless of the manufacturing process employed, high-quality surface finishing services can enhance both the appearance and functionality of your components. We provide a range of superior metal, composite, and plastic surface finishing services to realize the prototype or component you envision.

Our Goal is to continuously supply affordable high-quality prototypes and custom low-volume products for production intent. Our business model is based upon providing cost effective solution that benefits customers at all stages of their product development. Our biggest asset is our customer base, which has grown rapidly through customer’s word-of-mouth around the world; amongst them, it covers from independent inventors or designers to large scale Industrial, Commercial, Medical, Automotive and even Aerospace companies.