Texas-based 3D printing company Essentium has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force to "drive the development and deployment of advanced additive manufacturing (AM) solutions".
US Air Force
US Air Force 62-3580 Stratotanker. Photo: Andrew W. Sieber
The company will work on applications in tooling, ground support, maintenance repair and overhaul, and flight-certified parts for military aircraft and ground vehicles owned by both the US Air Force and the National Guard Bureau (NGB).
The multi-year collaborative contract has the potential to save both services millions of dollars and manhours by ramping up additive manufacturing production and developing certified materials that will produce consistent, high-quality AM parts and components that are both faster and cheaper to make.
This contract is part of more than $550 million (€469 million) recently deployed through the US Air Force's Strategic Financing (STRATFi) initiative, the goal of which is "to identify and advance ‘big bet’ technologies that have the potential to protect and advance the future dominance of the US Air Force and its airmen," the company said in a press release.
The contract will also help the NGB advance its ability to speed the production of parts for ageing fleets of air and ground vehicles.
The US Air Force is under pressure to accelerate aircraft repairs, reduce costs, and quickly get aircraft back in the air. For many ageing aircraft, replacement parts are scarce, and it is challenging to find manufacturers willing to resume the production of parts that may not be reordered for many years. Parts ordered one or two at a time are expensive and can entail exceptionally long waits, often leading the Air Force to "cannibalise" parts from the ‘aircraft boneyard’ at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
To address these production, supply chain, and procurement challenges, the Essentium-US Air Force project team will work together on the testing and development of new materials and processes using the Essentium High-Speed Extrusion (HSE) 3D Printing Platform.
According to Essentium, the HSE platform offers fast print speeds "for rapid part production at the point of use, whilst decreasing the time required to certify new materials for use in flight."
Nathan Parker, Deputy PEO, Rapid Sustainment Office, U.S. Air Force, said: “Developing safety-critical aeroplane parts is closer than ever before due to cutting edge technology like Essentium’s additive manufacturing solution. Essentium demonstrated it has the expertise and capabilities to create parts with consistent replication using the Essentium HSE 3D Printing Platform. We will work together to drive additive manufacturing technology forward; for faster aircraft repairs that massively reduce time to deliver parts to keep our warfighters ready.”
Elisa Teipel, Ph.D., Chief Development Officer and Co-founder, Essentium, Inc. said: “The sky is the limit for the potential benefits of additive manufacturing for the US Air Force. As well as reducing operating costs by tens of millions, the strategic capability we will work with our STRATFi partners to deliver through this program will help bring about an end to the scenario of days of aircraft sitting on the tarmac awaiting simple replacement parts which may be 3D printed and can get them flying again. We are beyond thrilled to be awarded this contract and work with our government customers to help drive significant advancement in military parts manufacturing and advance the U.S. Air Force’s military leadership.”
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