Low-Cost Technologies for Prototyping and Re-engineering Sheet Metal in Aerospace Applications

Sheet metal repair and prototyping has often been limited by its high cost due to low production manufacturing. Traditionally, sheet metal parts that were created for repair or prototyping were created using labor intensive and costly manual techniques. This work explores the fusion of 3D printing and 3D scanning in sheet metal repair and prototyping. The process from starting with a damaged part to creating a replacement sheet metal part is detailed including optimizing the punch and die for 3D printing. Ultimately this approach yielded a low-cost replacement sheet metal panel that could be used in repair. The technique could be replicated for creating replacement sheet metal parts for aircraft and other aerospace applications.