Airbus Installs 3D-Printed Bracket on Commercial Aircraft
Arconic produced the titanium bracket, which Airbus installed on its A350 XWB series production commercial aircraft.
Arconic and Airbus have installed a 3D-printed titanium bracket on a series production Airbus commercial aircraft, the A350 XWB. Arconic is 3D printing these parts for Airbus’s newest widebody aircraft at its additive manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas.
While airplane makers have been using 3D-printed parts for components inside the cabin, equipping airframes with additively manufactured metal parts is new, the companies say.
In addition, the installation of the bracket on a series production commercial airplane, as opposed to a test airplane, is a step forward in the qualification of more complex 3D-printed parts for production aircraft. 3D-printed parts, including metal printed cabin brackets and bleed pipes, are already on Airbus A320neo and A350 XWB test aircraft.
This bracket is part of an ongoing partnership between Airbus and Arconic. Last year, Arconic announced three agreements with Airbus to produce 3D-printed titanium and nickel parts for commercial aircraft, including the A320 and A350 XWB.
Related Content
-
This Drone Bird with 3D Printed Parts Mimics a Peregrine Falcon: The Cool Parts Show #66
The Drone Bird Company has developed aircraft that mimic birds of prey to scare off problem birds. The drones feature 3D printed fuselages made by Parts on Demand from ALM materials.
-
How Norsk Titanium Is Scaling Up AM Production — and Employment — in New York State
New opportunities for part production via the company’s forging-like additive process are coming from the aerospace industry as well as a different sector, the semiconductor industry.
-
Why AM Leads to Internal Production for Collins Aerospace (Includes Video)
A new Charlotte-area center will provide additive manufacturing expertise and production capacity for Collins business units based across the country, allowing the company to guard proprietary design and process details that are often part of AM.