This full scale prototype was an extremely complex additive manufacturing project. Our aerospace customer was accelerating the development of a new aircraft for a growing global market. They required a full-size fuselage model with a high degree of dimensional accuracy so they could perform internal testing for ergonomics, cockpit design, and operation.
“We produced for them a 10′ x 4.5′ fuselage in about 4 weeks from the time they provided us with their design.”
The fuselage was about 10’ long and 4.5’ in diameter – one of the largest prototypes we’d ever attempted. For a build that big, we had to develop a production method for creating over 130 thin-walled panels along with a proprietary system of mechanical joints and assembly.