Paris Air Show 2019: additive manufacturing is taking off
The 53rd edition of the International Paris Air Show (SIAE 2019), held at Parc des Expositions du Bourget, came to an end yesterday. Since Monday 17th, it’s thousands of participants that were roaming the aisles of one of the world’s largest events for the aerospace industry. Our team was able to attend the event and meet some of the additive manufacturing players for this sector. It is true that the aerospace industry was one of the first to adopt 3D printing into its manufacturing processes. Therefore, it was crucial that we attend and today we give you our exclusive insights on the event!
It should be noted that in 2018, Research and Markets published a study on the aerospace additive manufacturing market, revealing an annual growth rate of 23.01%, projected until 2021 – this sector is indeed growing at a healthy rate! 3D printing technologies are important for the sector as they allow the creation of complex, unique, lighter and less expensive parts. In the last few years, the development of associated technologies and materials has enabled the actors of this industry to become more competitive and increase the number of applications: from turbine blades, rocket engines to hub carriers, the possibilities are endless.
The previous edition had brought together 2,381 exhibitors from 48 countries and more than 300,000 visitors, including 140,000 professionals. This year was a real success again; our 3Dnatives’ team was able to experience firsthand all the excitement of the show. We saw around 30 exhibitors presenting their additive manufacturing solutions for the aerospace industry. For example, we saw Stratasys’ aircraft cabin, which included a number of 3D printed parts. Stratasys Managing Director, Eric Bredin told us, “We can manufacture almost anything around the seats, except the seat itself. Our technology is very interesting for manufacturers, because it allows them to produce solid and light parts thanks to the lattice-cell structure that we have developed. This enables significant weight saving for airlines and therefore reduces costs.”
Metal and High-Performance Materials
Another 3D printer manufacturer present at the show was Trumpf. The company presented its metal additive manufacturing solutions, capitalising on its expertise in laser development. Metal is indeed the most widely used material in the aerospace industry and we noticed several 3D printing services there, including GMP Additiv, Erpro Group, Volum-e, Initial and Spartacus3D. Additionally, high-performance materials are also popular, notably PEKK and ULTEM as they offer mechanical properties comparable to some metals, but are comparatively much lighter. The filament manufacturer, Armor 3D also presented its new aerospace filament, PEI-9085.
Hub carrier optimised by Sokaris Engineering and 3D printed by Erpro Group – both partners obtained 30% weight savings | Credits: 3Dnatives
We also saw players dedicated to the development of software solutions for 3D modeling and manufacturing. Dassault Systèmes was there to showcase its 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Airbus is one of the companies that has partnered with Dassault Systèmes for more than 5 years, using its platform to collaborate on 3D designs, engineering, manufacturing, simulation and intelligence applications for its aircrafts. We also saw CoreTechnologie, which was presenting its 4D_Additive CAD software. The software enables the creation of lightweight constructions with lattice structures and support structures for metal pieces.
Trumpf 3D printer, presented at the show | Credits: 3Dnatives
Aviation and aerospace are two of the pioneering sectors for additive manufacturing. Manufactured pieces are often unique as they require manufacturer-specific adaptations. Moreover, this is an industry with some of the highest safety requirements. This is why additive manufacturing technologies can play such an important role and benefit this industry considerably and also why their presence at the show will continue to grow over the next years!
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