BAE Installs 3D Printer to Boost Production Agility; Greg Flanagan, Yann Rageul Quoted

BAE Systems has added a fourth Stratasys-built F900 3D printer to the British defense contractor's manufacturing site in Samlesbury, England,

The installation will add to BAE’s “Factory of the Future” initiative, which will develop an innovative facility in Lancashire to advance technology and manufacturing, Stratasys said Wednesday.

Stratasys' industrial-grade FDM has been used across aircraft ground equipment operations for a variety of applications, prototypes and manufacturing tools. 

“Stratasys FDM additive manufacturing plays an important role in this initiative, as it helps us meet our overall company objectives to reduce costs and time-to-market,” said Greg Flanagan, lead for additive manufacturing operations at BAE Systems Air.

“Our Factory of the Future program is all about driving the future of fighter aircraft production with disruptive technologies and we’re working closely with our suppliers and wider industry to meet the challenges the UK Government has set out to us,” added Flanagan.

BAE aims to simplify its production process through the use of additive manufacturing techniques. The company expects the most recent F900 installation to increase 3D printing capacity and utilize new 3D printing materials for tooling applications, such as carbon-fiber-filled FDM Nylon 12CF material. 

“We can rapidly 3D print one-off parts for new products, replace tools more easily and cost-effectively, and maintain production operations when hardware is delayed. If supply chains become disrupted, having this production power in-house also enables us to be more agile as a business and continue to best serve the needs of our customers,” Flanagan stated. 

FDM-based 3D printing technology offers an opportunity to decrease the up-front cost of tooling for new products. This is especially so with items such as drill tools, repair tools and other development tools that are often needed in small numbers.

“We continue to collaborate closely with the team at BAE to explore new solutions that further expand the application use of additive manufacturing within production – which will help to address and solve the company’s current and future manufacturing challenges,” said Yann Rageul, director of EMEA manufacturing solutions at Stratasys.