Honeywell International Inc.
LIGHTWEIGHT STIFFENED PANELS MADE USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES

Abstract:

Disclosed herein are lightweight, stiffened panels made using additive manufacturing techniques. In one embodiment, a stiffened panel includes a lattice structure including a plurality of unit cells, the lattice structure defining a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a first face sheet disposed along the first side and a second face sheet disposed along the second side; and a plurality of panel-end insets and/or insert blocks disposed within the lattice structure and/or through the first and/or second face sheets and including a threaded receiving portion configured for receiving and coupling with a hardware attachment, wherein the lattice structure, the first and second face sheets, the panel-end insets, and the insert blocks include a unitary structure that excludes brazing, fasteners, adhesives, or the like for maintaining said components in a fixed relationship as a single unit, the unitary structure being manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques, and wherein the unitary structure is in a self-supporting configuration that excludes any additive manufacturing print support structures that would be removed subsequent to manufacturing using the additive manufacturing techniques.