HexAM Bracket
HexAM Casting
HexAM Ducting
HexAM Piping

HexAM® Additive Manufacturing

HexPEKK® 3D Printed Parts for Aerospace, Space and Defense

HexAM® additive manufacturing is a sophisticated merging of PEKK high performance thermoplastic and the world's most robust additive manufacturing technology, delivering a range of fully functional, end-use parts and components. We are fundamentally improving the way the world's aircraft components are manufactured, fulfilling critical development and production contracts for 3D printed parts in a range of aircraft applications, combining high performance with significant weight and cost savings to our customers.

This technology is ideally suited for end-market applications where functional complexity and weight reduction can have a substantial and positive impact on performance, while also yielding cost and energy savings. Our products deliver sustained value for our customers.

Hexcel Additive Manufacturing is featured on Worldwide Business with Kathy Ireland®


Material

Our principal material of construction is a proprietary poly-ether-ketone-ketone formulation, PEKK. This high performance polymeric material has an extraordinary range of benefits that include robust mechanical performance, extreme temperature tolerance, high purity, gamma stability, and extremely high chemical resistance.

Process

Our HexAM® additive manufacturing process uses selective laser sintering. This method is a free-form, tool-less additive manufacturing process which produces uniform, near isotropic properties with exceptional build fidelity and nearly limitless design possibilities. This manufacturing process is the state-of-the-art technology for fully functional end-use 3D-printed structural parts.

EOS P800

Applications

HexAM® additive manufacturing is an elegant merger of the world’s highest performance thermoplastic and the world’s most robust and advanced additive manufacturing technology.This results in industrial structures that meet or significantly exceed the performance expectations in multiple sectors to include aviation, defense and space.

HexPEKK® structures have nearly limitless application. Whether you need your product to be lighter, last longer, work more efficiently or cost less, we can be your solution provider.

Aerospace Components

  • Low series labor- and capital-intensive production parts
  • High series labor-intensive production parts
  • Required to meet interior aircraft smoke and toxicity
  • Weight and part-count reduction objectives
  • Replace intricately-machined aluminum or composites
  • UAV sub assemblies and min UAV aerostructures



Hexcel (as OPM) was awarded the contract by Boeing to supply additive manufactured parts for the CST-100 Starliner. 

Read more on when Hexcel acquired the HexAM® additive manufacturing technology from Oxford Performance Materials.

Engineering Services

HexAM® Additive manufacturing technology represents a new paradigm in designing and building industrial structures. Hexcel provides clients with world-class engineering services to expand capacity and expertise in new material and process technology along with design and optimization capability. We work with the latest and most sophisticated software modeling tools to topologically optimize our advanced AM structures into your product deliverables, focusing on efficiency and performance. 

In order for structural modeling to be properly implemented, Hexcel has undertaken comprehensive mechanical testing and evaluation of our products. Our extensive proprietary Hexcel material database has been compiled as a result of years of development of the process, and it will assist you in moving rapidly to technology insertion. Our test matrix, and the resulting B-basis, was constructed in order to support demanding aviation standards for secondary flight structures.

Build Parameters



Print Dimensions
Maximum Part Dimensions
mm x mm x mm
in x in x in
683 x 371 x 531
26.915 x 14.625 x 20.910
Thickness
mm
in
min
max
min
max
2.0
25.4
0.08
1
Min As-sintered
mm
in
Hole Diameter
1.3
0.05


HexPEKK® 100 Engineering Properties



Property (units)
Orientation
Metric
U.S.
Tension Strength (MPa, ksi)
XY
109.6
15.9
Tension Strength (MPa, ksi)
Z
63.0
9.15
Tensile Modulus (MPa, ksi)
XY
6440
934
Tensile Modulus (MPa, ksi)
Z
5054
733
Tensile Strain (%)
XY
2.3
2.3
Tensile Strain (%)
Z
1.4
1.4
Flexural Strength (MPa, psi)
XY
147.9
21450
Flexural Strength (MPa, psi)
Z
92.39
13400
Flexural Modulus (GPa, ksi)
XY
4.62
669
Flexural Modulus (GPa, ksi)
Z
4.35
631
Flexural Strain (%)
XY
3.4
3.4
Flexural Strain (%)
Z
2.3
2.3
Melting Temperature, Tm (°C, °F)
300
572
Glass Transition Temperature, Tg (°C, °F)
160
320
Service Temperature (°C, °F)
-185 to +149
±300
Surface Resistivity (Ω/sq)
< 1 x 109
< 1 x 109
Volume Resistivity (Ω*cm, Ω*in)
< 1 x 1011
< 3.94 x 1010
Density (g/cm3, lb/in3)
1.31
0.048
Poissons Ratio
0.4
0.4
Flammability (FAR Part 25.853 App F, 60s vertical)
Complies