Refractory alloys have extraordinary resistance to heat and wear with superior durability, are often the desired material for extreme environment applications such as space craft, missiles, and hypersonic vehicles. Due to the difficulty and high cost associated with manufacturing in complex shape, their utilization has been hampered even in the most demanding applications. Additive Manufacturing, 3D printing, on the other hands has demonstrated a superior shape producing capability that is unattainable with traditional manufacturing processes. Develop and mature 3D printing of refractory metal alloys have greatly enhance the extreme environment product’s performance and lowering the cost. This work demonstrated a robust 3D printing process with superior materials properties, significant leap in producing highly sophisticated geometries, and sufficiently lowered manufacturing cost. A case study of performance gain in sophisticated Nb C103 engineered hardware will also be presented.
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