How Boom Supersonic 3D printed parts for the XB-1

Just a few months ago Boom Supersonic launched their XB-1 aircraft. The XB-1 is a high speed jet that has often been compared to the now extinct Concorde. The company have now released a detailed study into how the aircraft was designed and manufactured, as well as the finishing touches. The XB-1 incorporates 21 components which were printed with Velo3D’s Sapphire 3D printer (Powder Bed Fusion). Thanks to 3D printing, Boom Supersonic were able to minimise manufacturing time, and aircraft weight, and maximise design flexibility.

Boom Supersonic are not only responsible for the world’s first ever independently developed supersonic jet, but also the first commercial aircraft manufacturer to incorporate sustainability into their aircraft design from the get go. The company are committed to being 100% neutral, from the design of their aircraft and how their production facility is operated, to how their aircrafts are recycled when no longer fit use. Boom Supersonic are aiming to create a new travel standard, where speed, convenience, and affordability are the new normal.

The XB-1 has 21 components 3D printed using Velo3D’s Sapphire 3D printer. (Photo Credit: Boom Supersonic)

The XB-1’s 3D printed components mostly consist of parts, including vanes and ducts, intended to channel air, which would often exceed 260ºC. These parts are geometrically complex and thus better suited to additive manufacturing, than traditional methods unable to achieve the level of intricacy required. Engineer Byron young explained why additive manufacturing was so important for the production of these parts: “If fast moving air is touching it, we care about that surface from an efficiency and performance standpoint. So when designing these parts, you generally start with aerodynamic profiles and then trim, fillet, and thicken surfaces to create the solid part itself. The resulting parts are very complex—which meant they definitely needed to be fabricated through 3D printing.”