The Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI), Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCU), and Parker Aerospace in Ogden, Utah unveiled the creation of a titanium 3D-printed replica spike in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the joining of the Transcontinental Railroad. The spike will be on display during the two-day celebration at the Parker Aerospace pavilion along with a video demonstration of how it was made.
The project began several months ago as Parker Aerospace was considering how to participate in the Spike150 celebration. With the recent addition of a new state-of-the-art metal additive manufacturing machine (3D printer) and several employees with a passion of railroad history, Parker decided to 3D print their own commemorative spike to represent the linking of past and present innovation.
“The original golden spike was a beautifully crafted piece, forged with the best craftsmanship of the time. It’s wonderful to remember that symbol and the extraordinary event it represents”, said Jeff Edwards, Executive Director of UAMMI. “However, today we are unveiling a new symbol of the future, a titanium metal additive manufactured spike created with state-of-the-art innovation right here in Utah.”
The titanium spike was created by first scanning a similar spike from the time period (scanning the original was not permitted). The scan created thousands of data points that were sent to a computer for processing. The data was then sent to the 3D printer where an electron beam melted layer upon layer of titanium powder in the exact replica of the scanned spike.
This new process of additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a breakthrough for the aerospace manufacturing industry as it can reduce manufacturing time by up to 90% compared to traditional methods. While it is being introduced around the world, Parker Aerospace is leading the way as one of the first companies in Utah to implement this innovation.
“Back in the day, the joining of the railroad across the country was a tremendous innovation,” said Doug Dilley, Business Unit Manager for Parker Aerospace. “At Parker, we believe we are doing the same thing but in a different way. Like that event, we can say that we are part of something extremely innovative and bigger than ourselves. With this new technology we are leading the way for the next generation of flight.”
The 3D printed replica spikes will be on display during the Spike150 celebration May 10-11, 2019 at Promontory, Utah. A video of the replica spike project was also created and can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_tZQvLZkIc . Funding for the video project came from the Utah Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Industry, Economic Development Corporation of Utah, and Parker Aerospace (the Control Systems Division of Parker Hannifin).
###
About UAMMI
Founded in 2014, the Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) brings together public, private, community, industry and education partners to assure growth and sustainability of Utah’s advanced materials and manufacturing industry and maintain Utah’s leadership in this key global industry. www.UAMMI.org
About Parke Aerospace
Parker Aerospace is the Control Systems Division for Parker Hannifin. The are responsible for solving flight control system challenges on a wide variety of commercial and military aircraft. Their flight control experience extends across both military and commercial platforms, and embraces a wide range of industry-changing programs. Parker flight controls have long played a role in advanced military aircraft, including helicopters, fighters, transports, and missiles. https://www.parker.com/portal/site/PARKER/menuitem.c17ed99692643c6315731910237ad1ca/?vgnextoid=fc3ef5982a65e210VgnVCM10000048021dacRCRD&vgnextfmt=EN
About EDCUtah
Since 1987, EDCUtah has worked with state and local government and private industry to attract and grow competitive, high-value companies and spur the expansion of local Utah businesses. EDCUtah is a private nonprofit organization. https://www.edcutah.org/
PR Contacts:
| Jeff Edwards, UAMMI Executive Director 450 South Simmons Way, Suite 300 Kaysville, UT 84037 (801) 593-2236 Main (801) 455-0896 Mobile jedwards@uammi.org |
Justin Bott, UAMMI Marketing Manager 450 Simmons Way, Suite 500 Kaysville, UT 84037 (801) 725-7240 Mobile jbott@uammi.org |