Imagine flying 35,000 feet in the sky within an airplane made of metals that are 99.99 percent air. That reality isn’t too far of a stretch, as Boeing—the world’s largest aerospace company and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners—recently joined with HRL Laboratories in creating microlattice, the world’s lightest metallic material.
For the past six years, scientists at HRL Laboratories have been working on their microlattice technology. “The concept is very similar to the structure of human bones,” says Dr. Tobias Schaedler, a senior scientist at HRL Laboratories in Malibu, California. “Our bones, much like the microlattice, are composed of a very strong and durable exterior, while the interior is hollow. This is how our bones are not only tough but lightweight as well.”
The metal is first constructed of lattice structure made of 3-D–printed polymers, which are coated with an extremely thin layer of nickel—so thin in fact that the metal is one hundred times finer than a single human hair. Afterward, the polymers are washed out, leaving a hollow tube of 100-nanometer-thick nickel, which is then combined to construct a larger mass of metal.
HRL Laboratories has created the lightest metal in the world.
Formerly known as the Hughes Research Laboratories, HRL is aiming to implement the use of a metal that is half the density but the same strength as the ones currently utilized on commercial aircraft. The new microlattice technology would help bring down the overall weight of airplanes, ensuring less fuel consumption during operation, which is the largest overhead cost for airline companies.
Boeing will likely debut the technology on the lower section of its rocket ships within the next five years, while the microlattice will take another decade to be incorporated into the sidewall or floor panels of commercial planes.