General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) brought additive manufacturing from an experimental technology to one of the pillars of its manufacturing processes. 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 3D printing has advanced from a few desktop printers to a fully evolved ecosystem of additive manufacturing technologies and applications, resulting in thousands of 3D printed aircraft parts on multiple unmanned platforms today.
3D printing offers time and cost efficiencies over traditional manufacturing. It lets you validate ideas quickly and speed decision making. Versatile materials provide a more effective way to make tooling and the capability to make complex flight parts lighter, with fewer components.
Stratasys 3D printers used in aerospace applications generally include FDM and P3 DLP printers that offer a versatile range of materials comprising durable and high-performance thermoplastics and photopolymers.
