Feb 20, 2018 | By Benedict
Stelia Aerospace, a French company that makes aerostructures and aircraft seats, has used 3D printing for its latest fuselage panel. The "self-reinforcing" panel, developed with Constellium, Centrale Nantes, and the CT Ingénierie group, is cheap and lightweight.
In an attempt to show how 3D printing can be used on a large scale to make functional aerospace components, Toulouse-based Stelia Aerospace developed and fabricated a 3D printed fuselage panel for an aircraft.
The 3D printed component was made in collaboration with aluminum company Constellium, engineering school Centrale Nantes, and CT Ingénierie—an engineering innovation and consultancy group. We first reported on the agreement between these parties way back in 2015, so their effort to develop 3D printed aircraft fuselages is clearly a serious, long-term project.
The new panel, which measures one square meter and which was 3D printed in one piece, was made with a Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) 3D printer. WAAM printers work like plastic-extruding FDM 3D printers, but with metal wire instead of plastic, and are much less common than SLM 3D printers, which print metals using powders and a laser.
“With this 3D additive manufacturing demonstrator, Stelia Aerospace aims to provide its customers with innovative designs on very large structural parts derived from new calculation methods,” said Cédric Gautier, CEO of Stelia Aerospace.
Gautier added that his company is “preparing the future of aeronautics” by developing technologies that can improve the world of aerostructures.
The 3D printed aircraft component was made as part of the DEveloppement de la Fabrication Additive pour Composant TOpologique (DEFACTO) project, which aims to demonstrate the viability of large-scale additive manufacturing in the aerospace sector.
Stelia has a turnover of 2.2 billion euros, and employs 6,900 employees worldwide.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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What an amazing piece of art.
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