General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a world leader in developing and producing unmanned aircraft systems, notably the MQ-9A Reaper and MQ-9B SkyGuardian, to name just two. In just over a decade, GA-ASI’s adoption of AM has advanced from a few desktop printers to a fully evolved ecosystem of AM technologies and applications, resulting in thousands of parts flying on multiple GA-ASI unmanned aircraft platforms today.
GA-ASI’s accomplishments with additive manufacturing (AM) didn’t happen by accident. They are a result of a systematic approach developed over time that meshes with the company’s business objectives.
Although GA-ASI developed this recipe, there’s no reason why other manufacturers in industries beyond aerospace can’t use the same methodology for success.
Steve Fournier is a senior manager at the center and has been instrumental in establishing the company’s AM “ecosystem” – the framework of elements that comprise a successful AM program. In Fournier’s words, the ecosystem is the recipe that guides the organization for each AM application the company pursues. “The benefit is that it’s a template for us to work through what we need to work through and brings credibility to what we do,” Fournier says.
In the relatively short time since adopting additive manufacturing, GA-ASI has attained impressive results. For example, in 2022, the company reported its MQ-9B SkyGuardian comprised about 240 AM parts, saving $2 million in tooling costs and achieving more than $300,000 in recurring cost avoidance. Those results will only increase over time, fueled by additional AM applications across other upcoming aircraft programs.
Reducing costs is one of the fundamental benefits of AM. Another is speed, which helps businesses accelerate time-to-market. But while cost reduction and time-to-market acceleration are worthy objectives, they don’t paint the complete benefit picture of additive manufacturing. In Fournier’s view, AM’s other advantage is its ability to change the approach to design and manufacturing because it alleviates conventional manufacturability constraints.
Fournier relates, “Additive itself is not the end game - it’s not what will change the industry and flip it on its head. Additive is a good fit in that it’s an enabling force to manufacture designs that will be increasingly and exponentially complex and integrated at the system level. It is part of the full digital manufacturing end goal at GA-ASI.”
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