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 Mike Richardson Tags Airtech Advanced Materials Group Thermwood Corporation 3d printed Additive manufacturing Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) thermoplastic extrusion Share This Article Tweet Share Share Share Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter Related Articles The industry converges at JEC New prepregs for composite tooling by Airtech Advanced Materials Group New developments for ultra-high temperature processes like thermoplastics Most recent Articles CompoTech launches standard range of axial fibre carbon composite beams Teijin Aramid para-aramid to play critical role on NASA Mars Rover Bondloc UK announces Bolton University collaboration Share This Article Tweet Share Share Share Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter
