Evaluation of Surface Roughness of Additively Manufactured Overhead Bin Latch Housings

Additive manufacturing (AM) is extensively used in industry with its expanding application areas. The use of additive manufacturing in the aviation industry offers a series of advantages such as lightweight, ease of production and cost effectiveness. Cabin interior components of an airplane constitute approximately 10 percent of its entire weight, and many of these items are visible to passengers. Therefore, the appearance of these parts is an important concern. In this context, it is important to manufacture additively manufactured cabin interior parts with good surface quality since it is challenging to achieve optimal surface finish. In this study, surface roughness of overhead bin latch housings were compared which were manufactured with Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Mechanical profilometer and optical profilometer were used for measurement of roughness values and obtaining surface topography. Considering the manufacturing method and surface finish processes, an evaluation was conducted to assess alternative materials for replacing the original product.