outlook Ken Burns A Fresh Perspective: Propelling a Redesigned Aviation Part Vice President Commercial Forecast 3D, Powered by GKN Additive A passenger on a commercial airplane may not notice the overhead cover for the fresh-air vent installed above each seat. However, pilots who fly private planes are The company chose HP multi-jet-fusion (MJF) technology to modify the part’s design; MJF also allowed for some customization. “We initially intended this to be a small, easy project,” Scheerer recalls. “We had no idea how the market would receive it, so we didn’t want to invest in an injection-molding tool. We also liked the idea of being able to quickly modify the design if we had fitment issues, and the ability to offer custom parts with embossed tail numbers. “MJF still allowed us to start with small production runs to test the waters in the market, “ he continues. “We quickly found our-selves overwhelmed with orders. By mid-summer 2023, we had sold out multiple times. MJF—and our service bureau Forecast 3D— helped us a lot here, too. We were able to get large production runs— from hitting the ‘enter’ button to going out the door—in less than three weeks, which allowed us to keep orders flowing.” MJF is competitive with injection molding and Obvious Innova-tions’ volumes, according to Scheerer, who says the company has no plans to move away from the technology. “We have the confi-dence to use MJF in the future and try risky products that might not make sense for injection molding.” Scheerer says the redesigned air vent cover is “over-en-gineered” on purpose. This includes “significantly increased” strength and toughness, compared to the stock part. The AM part also boasts a low-profile design, giving pilots’ feet some breathing room, as well as improved ergonomics and size, refined aesthetics and a lower price. Meanwhile, adjustment knobs make it easy to change airflow direction Although he knew that redesigning the air-vent cover was risky, Scheerer decided to proceed anyway. “We looked at the success of this from a binary standpoint,” he concludes. “Either it was going to be great or a total flop. It’s actually been more successful than we envisioned.” another matter, because these air vent covers are underfoot, and the covers often break when a pilot enters the cabin. Believing they could design a vent cover with significantly in-creased strength and toughness, as well as improved aesthetics and a lower price, Obvious Innovations turned to additive manufacturing (AM) to bring the product to fruition. Company co-founder Bodhe Scheerer had firsthand experience with broken air-vent covers. “These parts are similar to what you find above your seat in a commercial flight,” he notes. “They direct the flow of fresh air in a small airplane interior. The stock parts are vacuum-formed; the design hasn’t changed for over 50 years. They are often broken, as they are located right where your foot enters the cabin. Being vacuum-formed, they are thin and brittle,” Scheerer adds. “The stock design also sticks too far into the cabin, inviting an unintended kick or knock. Seeing a need for higher-quality aviation parts, Scheerer, a mechanical design engineer, teamed up with fellow engineer Cody Kell and other colleagues—to form Obvious Innovations. The com-pany website details the flaws in what the founders call “seriously under-engineered” stock fresh-air vent covers, such as brittleness, difficulty adjusting air direction and deterring protrusion. “The only version of this vent cover was a flimsy old one,” Scheer-er says. “It was cheaply made but expensive to buy. To get this designed and procured, we noticed there was a lack of quality parts made in an industrial way for aviation without being extravagantly ex-pensive due to FAA regulations. This created a unique opportunity.” To help get the part to market as fast as possible, Scheerer and Kell turned to AM. The technology offered several benefits, including speed, minimal risk and design freedom. The two pieces of the 3D-printed air vent cover, before assembly. (Provided by Obvious Innovations) 18 — Additive Manufacturing 2025