🔒Additive manufacturing reshapes aerospace industry

Q&A talks with Caitlin Oswald, additive manufacturing project manager at East Hartford jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney, who was named to Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in business in 2015.

Q: How do you infuse creativity into your science and technology work?

A: Pratt & Whitney's Additive Manufacturing Group must keep its eyes out for new and innovative ideas constantly. Being creative is not an option — it's a requirement to keep up with the industry. Thankfully, additive manufacturing is exploding with new ideas. The trick is to think unconventionally: “How can we bring a new solution to an old problem?” With additive manufacturing, my team can bring unique design solutions that were never before considered because of conventional manufacturing limitations.

Q: How does additive manufacturing change the way we think about product development?

A: There are various uses of additive manufacturing in development. Many people consider production engine hardware as the greatest benefit to an engine program, and with additive manufacturing we have influenced programs in many ways. Using desktop printers, engineers bring hands-on, demonstration pieces to design reviews; with polymer printers, we create thousands of tools and fixtures for the shop floor; and with metal printers, we save development engines time and money by substituting conventional materials with metal additive parts sufficient for the engine environment and conditions.

Q: What are some of the ideas you are working on at Pratt?

A: Education is a key aspect to any technology, and our additive manufacturing team acts as the hub. We work to spread understanding of the technology throughout the design community, which sparks ideas in hardware owners and designers. We provide courses on how to implement the technology.

In addition, our group is a key contributor to the transition-to-production activities. We are using both laser and electron beam melting additive manufacturing technologies to support production of our PW1500G engine by the end of the year.

Q: How would you pitch a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) career to a high school student?

A: A STEM career can be ignited earlier than high school. There should be a focus with middle school-aged children, especially girls, to consider STEM opportunities. Decisions can be made in middle school that prepare you for a great STEM-focused path. I don't believe in pitching a STEM career; instead, I think it's important to encourage children to explore and discover if they have a passion for STEM. If you focus on things you have a passion for, all of the hard work is worth it.

Q: How are the technological innovations happening today going to impact the aerospace industry in the next 5-10 years?

A: Pratt & Whitney pioneered additive manufacturing with plastics in the 1980s. Additive manufacturing with metals is still relatively new. Government agencies, universities and industry partners are researching the fundamentals, and I believe it will have the biggest impact on the aerospace industry. In aerospace, it's crucial to not just make quality parts, but understand what is contributing to the quality. If we understand the fundamentals — the inputs that create quality — it will be easier to control the output. From there, the industry will expand to more exotic applications, different materials and unusual designs.

Q: What can be done to get more women into technology professions?

A: My parents were and are tremendous supporters of everything I wanted to achieve, even when I wasn't sure what it was yet. They always urged me to do my best, whether it was in dance class, sports and, of course, school. I think parents and mentors are the biggest contributing factors to the field their children aspire to.

It's important girls understand that you can have a very technical career, but that doesn't mean you turn into Amy Farrah Fowler from “The Big Bang Theory.” If you like fashion, dress nicely. If you like to shop, go shopping. If you like to cook, garden, workout, whatever, you can do all of those things and still have a technical career. You aren't labeled as just a nerd. The career you choose is what you do, not who you are. Some of the highest executive positions are held by women who started as engineers and scientists.

Q: How can Connecticut businesses take advantage of new technology?

A: Technologies such as additive manufacturing present exciting opportunities for Pratt & Whitney and our suppliers. For example, at the University of Connecticut, we established the Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center. UConn faculty and students and Pratt & Whitney employees work together on R&D projects with metal additive manufacturing. Local businesses are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities such as working with the center, where they can tour the facility and build some of their own hardware with the additive machines.