Industry Report

Why Polymer Additive
Manufacturing Makes Sense
for AerospaceAerospace
Industry Report
On March 23, 2020, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps issued Order 4700.4. In typical fashion, it
was written in a Situation – Mission – Execution format. The interesting part was the “mission,” which read:“Commanders at all levels shall employ and develop additive
manufacturing (AM) to its fullest extent possible… .” The order’sintent is to “…improve and standardize implementation of AM at
all levels…across the Marine Corps enterprise.” 				- commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps

You may not be a military commander, but you’re a leader, someone tasked with ensuring your division,
operation, or team has the tools to achieve the company’s objectives. And you’re likely familiar withadditive manufacturing and the benefits it offers throughout the product development cycle. So if you think
about Marine Corps Order 4700.4 for a moment, can you say that your organization embodies that samelevel of commitment? Should you execute the same mission? If the U.S. Marine Corps believes additive
manufacturing is important enough to implement across its entire organization, why wouldn’t an aerospaceand defense (A&D) company do the same, particularly since its core mission is manufacturing?
You might argue that the defense department has a healthy source of funding with the resources toimplement such a plan. But the truth is, the military must adhere to a budget, not unlike any company
whose objective is to earn a profit. The real question is whether those organizations, yours included, havethe do-what-it-takes vision and boldness to make it happen.
The Marine Corps’ commitment to AM is pretty clear and direct – implementation across all levels of theenterprise. And some aerospace businesses are taking a similar approach. They include many innovative
nascent companies that have come on the scene in recent years, such as Boom Supersonic, Blue Origin,
SpaceX, Sierra Space, and others. In other words, your competition.
Before you become complacent in believing your organization is already using AM, ask yourself thesequestions: Are you doing enough? How can you drive AM further into your organization to extract the mostit can achieve? Are you staying ahead of your competition? Are you prioritizing metal AM over polymer AM?

Industry Report

This report will help reinforce polymer AM’s value for the aerospace industry, particularly in light of current
challenges and trends. While some information may tread familiar ground, other points may enlighten, as
AM is an ever-evolving technology.

More Relevant Than Ever

AerospaceIndustry Report

The significance of AM for the aerospace industry deserves revisiting because not only has it provenvaluable for the last three decades, it is still a highly relevant tool to address current and emerging trends.

Speed to Market
A core tenet of AM is its ability to accelerate multiple design and manufacturing processes.
Unfortunately, the A&D industry has increasingly missed program timeline targets in recent
decades. While there are several reasons for this, a potential solution could be a deeper
integration of AM within the broader organization to achieve a compound effect of incremental
process cycle time improvements.

Supply Chain Resilience
The COVID pandemic clearly revealed the weak links in global supply chains. More recently, theUkraine invasion and the resulting embargoes have incurred new supply challenges, impacting
shipments of raw materials widely used in the A&D industry. Additive manufacturing has shown
it can alleviate some of these pain points through point-of-use production, agile production
capabilities, and conservation of raw materials. One clear example of AM’s positive impact on
supply chains is how multiple companies quickly pivoted to making personal protective equipment
and medical components to fight the pandemic. By leveraging digital design, connected networks,
and close-to-point-of-use production, companies short-circuited the inertia and roadblocks that
impacted traditional supply chains.

Sustainability and Climate Impact

Industry Report

Two ways AM can help aerospace manufacturers address environmental issues is by reducing
fuel consumption and material waste. AM impacts the former through lightweighting practices –creating parts that reduce weight using lighter materials and optimized designs made possible
with generative design and topological optimization. In addition, the additive process inherently
produces less material waste than a subtractive process, a well-known trait of the technology but
still significant, nonetheless.

The extent to which a company acquires these benefits depends on the intellectual and monetaryinvestment it makes in AM, and the commitment to drive implementation. Making it happen isn’t necessarily
easy, particularly in an industry that’s relied on metal as a foundational resource for a century. Metal 3D
printing is obviously doable but comes with challenges, from pre- and post-processing requirements to
manufacturing quality control considerations. And metal isn’t always the best solution either, especially when
it simply isn’t necessary, based on the application (many forms of tooling and non-critical flight structures,for example). It’s those applications where polymer AM plays a significant role, and it’s what this report will
explore next.

The Benefits of Polymer

AerospaceIndustry Report

Just as each aircraft in our nation’s front line of defense is designed for a specific mission profile, AM
technologies have their respective roles and best-fit applications. And while metal 3D printing has its place
in A&D, polymer AM and the FDM® extrusion process, in particular, are well suited to handle a wide varietyof engineering, production, and flight-part applications. Moreover, this broad mission capability enables
companies to implement AM deeper and wider across different organizations, reaping cumulative benefits.
Three primary advantages of FDM additive technology stand out:

Advantage: Faster Time-To-Solution

1

The time it takes to solve a problem is usually orders of magnitude faster using FDM technology vs.
conventional methods. This has been shown through countless use cases not only in A&D but also
in the auto and general manufacturing industries. The same result occurs when comparing FDM
technology to metal 3D printing. Parts are in hand sooner primarily due to fewer processing steps
needed to get the result.

Benefit

Ability to take time out of the design and production processes,
ultimately contributing to faster time-to-market.

Advantage: Ease of Use

2

FDM technology is a relatively easy AM process to learn and adopt, with no specialized training
required. In addition, later-generation FDM printers are even more user-friendly than previous versions,with features designed specifically to simplify their operation.

Benefit

Lower adoption barrier, allowing faster and easier implementation
throughout the organization. This enables a compounding effect on
problem resolution, cost savings, and faster delivery.

Advantage: Ongoing Material Development

3

A change to the Stratasys polymer filament development philosophy has led to a tiered material
ecosystem comprising three categories – Preferred, Validated, and Open. Preferred materials aredeveloped within Stratasys or a third party and receive full tuning and optimization. Validated materials
are typically developed with third-party polymer producers enabling faster market implementation.
Open materials are available on select FDM printers through an Open Material License, allowing theuse of any polymer filament produced by a third party or developed by the user.

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Benefit

Faster availability of more materials with specialized properties andcapabilities for Stratasys FDM printers, developed by industry-leadingmaterial producers with polymer expertise.

The bottom line is that polymer AM technology is not standing still. Investment in materials and printing
capabilities continues. Its overall benefit to a manufacturing organization is limited only by the creativity,commitment and imagination of the champions who understand its value.

Aerospace
Industry Report

FDM Success in the A&D Industry

Examples serve as the best means of demonstrating the capabilities of polymer FDM 3D printing within theaerospace and defense industry. The following use cases showcase a variety of companies that rely on thetechnology’s time- and cost-saving benefits.

Application:
Rudder Limiter System Prototype
Challenges

Boom Supersonic needed a faster way of validating the rudder limiter’s design kinematics for its XB-1
supersonic concept aircraft. Relying on traditional machining would not meet accelerated production
schedules and incur material waste and costs consistent with conventional subtractive machining.

Solution

Instead of machining all the required components, Boom 3D printed the system out of ASA thermoplastic,
avoiding the typical lead times and machining costs. In addition, 3D printing avoided the limitations ofdesigning for standard manufacturability and allowed engineers greater freedom in creating the design.

ImpactIndustry Report

96% material cost savings and 86% lead time savings when compared to machining.

Engineering & Development

FDM Success in the A&D Industry

AerospaceIndustry Report

Application:
V-22 Stabilizer Conduit Upgrade Functional Prototypes
Challenges

Tail wiring upgrades required new conduits for on-ground wire testing. Conventionally made (cast aluminum)
parts would take weeks to procure.

Solution

The rapid prototyping team chose to 3D print the conduits using polycarbonate (PC) and polyphenlysulfone(PPSF) materials. They provided the properties required for functional testing – dimensional stability, high heatdistortion temperature, V0 flammability rating (PPSF), and chemical resistance. Engineers also cited easy,
quick post-processing (time-to-part) as a reason for using FDM technology.

ImpactIndustry Report

Engineers produced 42 conduit models in 2.5 days using additive vs. six weeks using conventional means –over a 90% time reduction. Engineers also noted the ability for faster iteration, leading to a better design.

Engineering & Development

FDM Success in the A&D Industry

AerospaceIndustry Report

Application:
Metal Forming Die
Challenges

East/West Industries, a tier-one aerospace supplier to Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and others, sustained
damage to a metal forming tool just before a contract job was to start. East/West’s machine shop wascommitted to production parts, so a new forming tool would require outsourcing, jeopardizing the company’s
ability to meet the customer’s delivery timeline.

Solution

Using its Fortus 450mc™ printer, East/West engineers designed and produced a replacement die using FDM®
Nylon-12CF carbon fiber material.

ImpactIndustry Report

The 3D printed thermoplastic die worked without fail, providing the rigidity and toughness to complete thejob. Lead time savings over an outsourced die was seven weeks, an 87% time savings. In addition, the costdifference amounted to $1000 vs. $5000, an 80% improvement.

Production

FDM Success in the A&D Industry

AerospaceIndustry Report

Application:
Heatshield Tile Installation Tooling
Challenges

The Sierra Space Dream Chaser spaceplane uses 2000 thermal protection tiles to deflect heat during
atmospheric reentry. Custom tools called “chucks” used to install each tile were typically made with a castingprocess, but this was a time- and labor-intensive process.

Solution

Wanting a better solution, Sierra Space engineers performed a trade study to compare 3D printing eachchuck with the traditional cast method. Finding the labor savings alone would justify the cost of a Stratasys
F900, Sierra Space purchased the system and printed the chucks using ASA thermoplastic.

ImpactIndustry Report

Engineers reported that 3D printing saved tens of thousands of hours in CAD development and manufacturing
to make all the chucks. The time savings allowed engineers to shift to other tasks, providing further timesavings. Additionally, by optimizing the chucks’ designs, engineers reduced the original print time projection by
75%, opening printer utilization for other projects.

Production

FDM Success in the A&D Industry

AerospaceIndustry Report

Application:
Avionics Cooling Duct
Challenges

United Launch Alliance (ULA) targeted the Atlas V rocket avionics cooling duct assembly for weight reduction
and reduced part count in its pursuit of efficiency improvements. The existing duct comprised approximately
140 metal parts.

Solution

ULA chose to redesign and 3D print the duct using ULTEM™ 9085 resin material, qualifying the material andresultant parts.

ImpactIndustry Report

The final 3D printed duct assembly resulted in only 16 parts, a nearly 90% reduction in part count achieved by
AM’s capability for part consolidation. This approach also resulted in a 98% reduction in production costs anda considerable weight reduction.

Flight Parts

FDM Success in the A&D Industry

AerospaceIndustry Report

Application:
B-2 Spirit Bomber Cockpit Switch CoverChallenges

To prevent the accidental activation of a cockpit accessory drive switch, the Air Force Life Cycle Management
Center requisitioned the design and production of a new cockpit switch cover. However, the cover was notpart of the B-2’s original configuration. This required new parts to be designed and manufactured for anaircraft no longer in production.

SolutionB-2 program office engineers decided to use FDM technology to 3D print the prototypes and the final
production parts, as it would be the fastest and lowest-cost option.

ImpactIndustry Report

With no OEM part to use as a basis, engineers used 3D printing to rapidly iterate designs and arrive at the
final switch cover configuration. Production of 20 units to cover the B-2 fleet resulted in a total cost of only
$4000.4

4. Image reference: Air Force Life Cycle Management news (https://www.
aflcmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2279362/b-2-program-officeuses-additive-manufacturing-to-create-protective-cover-for-a/)

Flight Parts

Accelerating the Qualification Cycle

AerospaceIndustry Report

There’s no denying that qualifying materials and parts for flight is a long and costly endeavor, sometimes
taking years. But a pathway is being paved to accelerate that process through the collaboration of
manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance(NCAMP). In short, NCAMP works with industry partners like Stratasys to qualify materials and add them
to a database universally accessible by aerospace manufacturers. Then, instead of performing a completematerial qualification, manufacturers can use the information from the NCAMP database and prove
equivalency, making it faster and less expensive to gain regulatory agency approval.
The first AM material qualified using this process was ULTEM™ 9085 resin using the Stratasys F900
printer. As a result, companies now have a streamlined method for qualifying AM flight parts using theavailable allowables data for this high performance material. Stratasys continues to work with NCAMP toqualify other materials, which further cements Stratasys polymer AM as an essential element of aerospace
manufacturing.

FDM Technology: Versatile – Timely – Capable
As the preceding use cases illustrate, FDM technology addresses all facets of aerospace manufacturing,from the engineering phase through production and on to the creation of flight-worthy parts for aircraft
and space vehicles. It employs capable materials ranging from engineering plastics to high-performance,
ESD-capable polymers that have already demonstrated their value with the successful Orion moon mission
on Artemis I. In addition, it offers proven repeatability and reliability levels that are hard to match. And with
Validated and Open materials, FDM technology’s material portfolio will continue to expand and open new
applications. That’s why polymer FDM technology makes sense as a must-have tool for the aerospaceindustry.
Just as significant is the fact that FDM technology is still one of the most user-friendly, low-burden 3D
printing processes available. It provides fast solutions and quickly gets parts into engineers’ hands for fit andform checks, efficient tooling, or flight hardware.
This report started with the story of the Marine Corps’ order to implement additive manufacturing at alllevels. The Corps clearly sees a benefit to universal adoption for solving problems, safeguarding our nation,and helping the warfighter. It’s no less than a “get it done” decree. The lesson for aerospace leaders should
be to determine how the same can be done within their respective organizations – leveraging the benefits ofadditive manufacturing to innovate, reduce cost and deliver on time.

Industry Report

Stratasys is leading the industry in the releaseof publicly available data for Flight Parts.

Aerospace
Industry Report

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