Editor: Gabriel Ani
SEATTLE (chatnewstv.com) — Engineers at Boeing have completed a key phase of certification testing for the new 777-9 jetliner using hundreds of precisely engineered 3D-printed “ice” shapes designed to mimic worst-case icing conditions encountered in flight.
The unusual tools — useless for chilling drinks but vital for aviation safety — were conceived by tooling and equipment designer Gunner Santana, who said the work fulfilled a long-held ambition. “I’ve always wanted to play a part in the development of an airplane,” Santana said. “It’s not easy, but this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”
Santana and a team of engineers created about 600 shapes of varying thickness and geometry, which were affixed to the aircraft’s surfaces to replicate ice accumulation during certification trials. The tests were conducted out of Moses Lake, Washington, a major flight-test hub for Boeing programs.
“Regulations outline a variety of icing scenarios,” said aerodynamics engineer Brad Hood.
“We evaluate different phases of flight, speeds and weights to capture the most critical shapes for compliance.” He added that teams developed additional designs for the latest campaign.
“For this latest round of testing, we added more than 60 new shapes to our library of designs.”
After designs were finalized, structures lead engineer Matt Goldor’s group generated digital production datasets, enabling fabrication in a Boeing Test & Evaluation lab in the Puget Sound region.
The 777-9 flight-test fleet has logged more than 1,600 flights and 4,500 flight hours as part of Boeing and U.S. certification efforts with the Federal Aviation Administration, gathering data required to clear the aircraft for service. First delivery of the wide-body jet is expected in 2027.
“Our teams had a great mindset to tackle challenges and unlock the work we needed to,” Hood said.
“We learned some valuable ways to work together, and we’ll keep applying those going forward.”
