Additive Manufacturing

A considerable amount of tools and equipment are needed to support aircraft before and after flight. Custom ground-support equipment typically isn't cost-effective to produce with conventional manufacturing methods because of the low quantities. Direct digital manufacturing (or 3D printing) provides the ideal platform to produce many ground support-equipment components because of its ability to produce parts without tooling expense.

"Constant Improvement" is a Stratasys white paper that discusses additive manufacturing trends in the aerospace and defense industries. Here’s the third of four excerpts, along with a link to the full paper:

Another huge application is ground support equipment. All kinds of tools and equipment support the aircraft when it’s on the ground, and additive manufacturing can create that equipment, as well as training aids. When new flight mechanics and technicians get trained on various systems, they’ll use physical mockups rather than high- dollar components. Sheppard Air Force Base does this. NASA is another organization that uses training aids because they often have very complex systems.

View or download the complete Constant Improvement white paper.

View the second excerpt previously posted the week of February 13th.
View the first excerpt previously posted the week of February 6th.