Airbus qualifies Materialise, EOS for laser-sintered parts

Materialise has been qualified by Airbus to manufacture flight-ready parts using laser sintering technology. The material used in the process, produced by EOS, is a flame-retardant polyamide (PA 2241 FR) meeting strict quality standards required of flight-ready parts.

The qualification is valid across Airbus and marks a significant milestone for wider adoption of polymer 3D printing in aerospace. PA 2241 FR offers a cost-effective complement to the initially validated 3D printing material Ultem 9085. In addition to the PA 2241 FR material, qualification also encompasses the respective processes for 3D printing iton EOS systems. Materialise will use EOS systems including the EOS P 770 to manufacture PA 2241 FR parts for Airbus.

Applications include aircraft interior air ducts and brackets. The material is suitable for parts which must fulfill fire, smoke, and toxicity (FST) requirements, without using a primer and top coating.

Trilantic North America acquires 3D Systems’ On-Demand Manufacturing

Trilantic North America, a middle market private equity firm, is acquiring 3D Systems’ On-Demand Manufacturing business in partnership with industry executives and Ziad Abou, the division’s senior vice president and general manager for nearly a decade. The company will operate under the name QuickParts with Abou as CEO, providing on-demand 3D printing and custom manufacturing services. An installed base of approximately 200 in-house 3D printers and global network of manufacturing partners offer rapid prototyping, functional prototyping, low-volume manufacturing, and appearance model manufacturing services.