Stratasys additive manufacturing continues to impact the aerospace industry with the announcement that Airbus has produced more than 1000 flight parts on its Stratasys FDM 3D Production Systems for use in the first-of-type A350 XWB aircraft, delivered in December 2014. The 3D printed parts were used in place of traditionally manufactured parts to increase supply chain flexibility, enabling Airbus to meet its delivery commitment on time.

Airbus initiated development and certification of 3D printing with Stratasys in 2013 as a schedule risk reduction activity that proved valuable for the A350 XWB program and highlights a key benefit of 3D printing in the manufacturing industry.

The parts are 3D printed using Ultem 9085 resin for FDM, which is certified to an Airbus material specification. Ultem 9085 resin reportedly provides high strength-to-weight ratio and is FST (flame, smoke, and toxicity) compliant for aircraft interior applications. This enables Airbus to manufacture strong, lighter weight parts while substantially reducing production time and manufacturing costs.

"Both companies share a vision of applying innovative technologies to design and manufacturing to create game-changing benefits," said Dan Yalon, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Marketing & Vertical Solutions for Stratasys. "Our additive manufacturing solutions can produce complex parts on-demand, ensuring on time delivery while streamlining supply chains. Additive manufacturing also greatly improves the buy-to-fly ratio as significantly less material is wasted than with conventional manufacturing methods. Stratasys is looking forward to bringing these and other advantages to its collaboration with Airbus and to being part of Airbus' Factory of the Future initiative."