
21 Nov 2019
Oerlikon partners with United Launch Alliance to manufacture launch vehicle flight components
Frankfurt am Main, Germany – November 21, 2019 – Oerlikon AM, the additive manufacturing unit of global technology powerhouse Oerlikon, announces it will provide metal additively manufactured qualification and flight components for United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket. ULA is the world's most experienced and reliable launch service provider, with more than 130 launches and 100 percent mission success.
ULA will design and develop the components, while Oerlikon supports with Design for AM, printing and post-processing. The nickel alloy 718 components will be printed in Oerlikon AM’s new, large state-of-the-art, AS9100-certified metal AM facility in Huntersville, North Carolina. Finished components will be delivered to ULA’s 1.6-million-square-foot factory in Decatur, Alabama. ULA is on track for the first Vulcan Centaur launch in 2021.
Oerlikon worked with ULA to complete a six-month process qualification to demonstrate properties that met ULA’s rigorous requirements for test and flight hardware.
“We are very excited about this alliance, which allows us to manufacture a number of flight components for ULA,” said Dr. Sven Hicken, Head of Oerlikon’s Additive Manufacturing Business Unit. “ULA is a leader in using additive manufacturing to reduce production lead times and increase performance in launch vehicles. Vulcan Centaur will advance the use of AM in rockets, and we are looking forward to the launch in 2021.”
Come by Oerlikon’s booth in Hall 12.1, Booth B01 at Formnext to find out more about additive manufacturing applications.
Reader enquiries
Oerlikon
Oerlikon AM GmbH
Kapellenstr. 12
85622 Feldkirchen
Germany
Notes for editors
About Oerlikon AM
Oerlikon AM is a business unit of the global technology and engineering powerhouse Oerlikon, which is headquartered in Switzerland. Oerlikon’s additive manufacturing unit is leading transformative change in the aerospace, medical, automotive, power generation and tooling industries. Oerlikon AM provides print-tested and qualified metal powders, design for AM expertise, conventional and additive manufacturing services, from prototyping to production, as well as product validation and quality inspection support to leading global manufacturing companies who are incorporating additive manufacturing into their business models. Oerlikon AM employs more than 300 people at six locations in Europe, the USA and China, and is backed by Oerlikon’s 10,500+ employees in 37 countries.
About ULA
With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the world’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 130 satellites to orbit that provide Earth observation capabilities, enable global communications, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, and support life-saving technology.
For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.
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Oerlikon partners with United Launch Alliance to manufacture launch vehicle flight components.
Editorial enquiries
Dr. Kerstin Reinsch
Oerlikon
Kim Vermeer
EMG