Stratasys and AM Craft Collaborate on 3DP Parts for Aviation

In a week when National Aviation Day is touting advances in aircraft of all types, we’re seeing new moves in the use of 3D printing in aviation. An example of one step forward comes from Stratasys Ltd. and aviation manufacturer AM Craft. The companies are partnering to align their efforts to grow the demand for flight-certified 3D printed parts in aviation. Stratasys and AM Craft have signed a commercial collaboration agreement just as Stratasys makes a strategic investment in AM Craft.

3D-printed cup holders and trays

These 3D Printed custom cup holders and trays are printed in color and installed in regional jet cockpits without need for further finishing:

Image courtesy of Stratasys

Holding an EASA Part 21G Production Organization Approval, AM Craft solves a key barrier to broader adoption of 3D-printed parts in the aviation industry by delivering airworthiness certified parts to airlines, MROs, and OEMs. Additive manufacturing has strong appeal as a supply chain solution in these markets due to the long sustainment life of aircraft and the resulting challenges in forecasting and stocking replacement parts.

3D printing can be a good fit for aviation, since the industry requires parts that are few in quantity but highly specific. “The low volume, high mix nature of the aviation aftermarket has resulted in extreme challenges to supply even the most minor of parts necessary to keep global fleets flying,” said Jeff Hemenway, an SVP at Stratasys. “Additive manufacturing addresses those challenges by cost-effectively producing at the rates and volumes required. AM Craft’s EASA-approved approach to certification takes this burden off the end customer.”

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This video shows the wide range of aircraft that utilize 3D-printed parts:

To facilitate the partnership with Stratasys, Hemenway has joined the AM Craft board of directors.

The collaboration is designed to bolster the positions of both companies in aerospace. “Aligning with Stratasys will further strengthen the confidence of our customers that we can supply them with needed parts,” said Didzis Dejus, CEO of AM Craft. “Given Stratasys’ leadership in additive manufacturing we will continue to drive the adoption of 3D printing in the airline and MRO industries. Their technology is an ideal fit for aviation.”

AM Craft currently produces aviation components in Europe and has demonstrated the ability to extend their Production Organization Approval to Paradigm 3D, a partner company in Dubai, UAE. Stratasys currently engages in certified aviation parts manufacturing through subsidiary Additive Flight Solutions (AFS) in Singapore. In structuring this partnership, AM Craft will own and operate AFS, further extending AM Craft’s production network to Southeast Asia, and add a Hamburg facility later this year.

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The combined network operates 13 printers under EASA 21G approval, which have produced more than 28,000 flight parts to date. A future step within the partnership will be to evaluate collaboration with US-based Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, and their substantial installation base of similar equipment.

In joining their efforts, the companies intend to achieve global reach while offering local production. “Aviation is a global industry, and our customers see localization of production as a major advantage that AM Craft can offer. By aligning with Stratasys and Additive Flight Solutions, we are better able to meet our customers’ needs to be in more major MRO hubs,” said Scott Sevcik, VP of strategy and business development AM Craft. “In addition to being where our customers need us to be, it’s also critical that we continue to build the catalog of parts. We believe that this collaboration with Stratasys, as well as other major aviation suppliers and distributers, will help us to accelerate our future growth.”