Polymer Production Enclave Advances Additive Manufacturing
See how Lawrence Livermore puts polymer additive manufacturing on the fast track — significantly reducing component production time from start to finish to support the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
“At its heart, the Polymer Production Enclave isn’t just a building; it is an extremely close, transparent collaboration that increases our agility and ability to significantly improve development time,” says Dan Bowen , chief scientist at KCNSC.
Transcript
00:00:10 as a state-of-the-art design and production facility the polymer enclave which was built during the covid19 pandemic significantly shortens the timeline from concept to delivery of critical components for the u.s warhead modernization programs polymers have proven to be game-changing materials in additive manufacturing particularly in producing warhead
00:00:32 components with one-of-a-kind requirements when heated polymers can soften and flow but stiffen when cooled livermore and our production partner in this area the kansas city national security campus work closely together to improve the iterative process of designing certifying and deploying polymer components for our nation's nuclear deterrent
00:00:56 with the ambitious goal of cutting the production timeline for polymer parts from six plus years to less than four years the polymer enclave features equipment and work environments identical to those at the kansas city national security site when you look at what we've done within the security enterprise in the past
00:01:15 where say the model was the design agency would come up with the design and then throw it over to the wall to the production agency that model is not agile it's not responsive and it's not fast inside the enclave a polymer part begins its production journey in the ink processing room once an ink has been mixed it will then
00:01:37 undergo a series of tests to ensure its quality for printing when the ink is ready for printing it will be taken to the adjacent room where advanced 3d printing machines line the walls allowing for simultaneous printing of multiple parts once printed the part will undergo a series of quality tests including stress temperature and composition analysis
00:02:00 before being certified and ready for deployment data gathered during these final stage tests are extremely insightful for future polymer component design and developments much more than a building the polymer enclave at livermore showcases our commitment to cross-site collaboration and concurrent engineering
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