Materialise to deliver 3D-printed plastic parts for Airbus

Leuven, Belgium – In April 2015, Materialise NV, a provider of additive manufacturing software and of 3D printing solutions, obtained EN9100 and EASA 21G certification, authorizing the company to deliver airworthy additive manufactured end-use parts. Materialise is now manufacturing plastic parts for Airbus's A350 XWB in this factory.

 

Certain end-use parts of the A350 XWB are being 3D printed for the benefits that this technology offers in terms of topology optimization and functional integration.

 

"Airbus understands and appreciates the benefits that 3D printing – or more appropriately in this case, additive manufacturing (AM) – can bring to the most modern widebody aircraft: the A350 XWB. In addition, with one of the most thorough test programs developed for a jetliner, the use of AM end-use parts sends a strong signal about the reliability and quality that AM can deliver today," stated Materialise executive vice president of production, Bart Van der Schueren. "For 25 years, Materialise has been working to improve AM through an ever more sophisticated software offering, and a factory for 3D printing that manufactures parts that meet the needs of even the most demanding of industries, including the health care, automotive, and aerospace sectors. As such, we are very proud to now be delivering end-use, flight-ready parts to Airbus."

 

Source: Materialise