Stratasys, Eden Prairie, Minn., announces that BAE Systems has added a fourth Stratasys F900 3D printer to its manufacturing site in Samlesbury, England, in a continued effort to reduce costs and improve production agility.
BAE Systems’ latest F900 installation will not only increase 3D printing capacity, but also will help exploit new 3D printing materials for tooling applications. This includes carbon-fiber-filled FDM Nylon 12CF material, which is used to create robust yet lightweight repair and development tools for the production line.
Along with its existing F900 line-up, the latest installation will operate around the clock as an integral part of BAE’s transformative “Factory of the Future” initiative, a cutting-edge facility in Lancashire that brings together the latest advances in technology and manufacturing.
According to BAE Systems, when using its F900 3D printers to manufacture production tools, the result is significant reductions in cost and lead times against those of traditional manufacturing methods.
“Stratasys FDM (fused deposition modeling) additive manufacturing helps us meet our overall company objectives to reduce costs and time-to-market,” says Greg Flanagan, Additive Manufacturing Operations Lead, BAE Systems Air. “We can rapidly 3D print one-off parts for new products, replace tools more easily and cost-effectively, and maintain production operations when hardware is delayed. If supply chains become disrupted, having this production power in-house also enables us to be more agile as a business and continue to best serve the needs of our customers.”
BAE Systems also has found great success in identifying traditionally manufactured applications that can be enhanced, or in some cases replaced, with high-performance 3D printing materials. This includes utilizing durable ABS and ASA materials for a range of aircraft ground equipment, such as cockpit floor covers for the Typhoon fighter aircraft.
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