Airtech Advanced Materials Group has invested in new technology in the form of a Thermwood Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) machine with integrated machining capability.

LSAM relies on thermoplastic extrusion and can take tooling from conception to the shopfloor significantly faster than conventional methods. Additive manufacturing (AM) uses almost the exact amount of material required, resulting in less touch labour and shorter lead-times.

Airtech believes that AM is a game changer that will change the tooling manufacturing world, especially in the aerospace industry. Large-scale tooling in the form of trim fixtures, holding fixtures, and layup moulds can be designed, tooled, and built faster without compromising on quality. Airtech has invested in a 5,574m² expansion at its Custom Engineered Products division in Springfield, TN.

“Airtech has been an extrusion company for over 45 years and is ready to take the next step into extrusion involving additive manufacturing, 3-D printing,” said Jeff Dahlgren, president/CEO of Airtech Advanced Materials Group. “This type of extrusion is similar to what we are doing now with films but will be used to create new tooling with internal heating (Out of Autoclave) on a large scale, up to 40ft long. We are developing new technologies to help our partners reduce cost and increase productivity.”

Airtech says it is dedicated to driving innovation in aerospace, including several trademarked products and patent pending processes for AM. With both room temperature and high temperature material offerings, Airtech sits poised to meet the demands of its growing markets, ready to serve its customers.

“We are excited to be able to offer numerous new additive manufacturing services and solutions to our customers to further solidify our stance as a leading technical partner in composites,” added Gregory Haye, director of Additive Manufacturing, Airtech Advanced Materials Group.

www.airtechonline.com

www.thermwood.com

Related Articles

Most recent Articles