Spirit AeroSystems to Deliver First 3D-Printed Commercial Aircraft Part

WICHITA, Kan., Dec. 21, 2018 — (PRNewswire) — Spirit AeroSystems [NYSE: SPR] announced the receipt of its first additive-manufactured, titanium, structural component for the Boeing 787. The part, a back-up fitting for an access door latch, has been machined and finished at Spirit's Wichita site, and installed in a 787 forward fuselage. The forward fuselage will ship to Boeing's final assembly facility in January.

Spirit AeroSystems logo. (PRNewsFoto/Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.)

The milestone follows more than nine years of collaboration on technology innovations and applications between Spirit and Norsk Titanium (NTi).

"Integrating additive manufacturing capability into our production system to build end-use titanium parts expands Spirit's fabrication capabilities and puts us at the forefront of advanced manufacturing," said Kevin Matthies, Spirit AeroSystems senior vice president of Global Fabrication. "With our Norsk collaboration, Spirit is bringing the power and benefits of additive manufacturing in support of our customers."

An advanced form of 3D-printing, NTi's proprietary plasma arc Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) technology is used to build up the parts to a near-net shape, minimizing waste, using less energy and significantly reducing product costs. NTi creates near-net shaped components; Spirit then performs final machining, finishing, inspection and installation.

Spirit AeroSystems is one of the largest manufacturers of fabricated parts for the aerospace industry. The company delivers a fully-integrated forward fuselage structure on the 787 program, with all flight controls tested and installed. The composite forward fuselage section is built using automated fiber placement machines, winding composite tape into a one-piece fuselage section.

Spirit employs about 16,000 people worldwide designing and building complex aerostructures for the world's most recognizable airplanes. Spirit builds the forward fuselage section of every Boeing commercial airplane in production today, as well as wing and propulsion components.

On the web: www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero

About Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.spiritaero.com.

 

Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-to-deliver-first-3d-printed-commercial-aircraft-part-300770264.html

SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

Contact:
Company Name: Spirit AeroSystems Inc.
Josh Wells, Spirit AeroSystems Corporate Communications
Email Contact (316) 526-2055
Web: https://www.spiritaero.com
Financial data for Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

Featured Video
Latest Blog Posts
AdministratorIndustry Predictions
by Administrator
AECCafe Industry Predictions for 2025 – DGG
Sanjay GangalAECCafe Today
by Sanjay Gangal
AEC Industry Predictions for 2025 — vGIS
Jobs
Senior Principal Software Engineer for Autodesk at San Francisco, California
Principal Engineer for Autodesk at San Francisco, California
Machine Learning Engineer 3D Geometry/ Multi-Modal for Autodesk at San Francisco, California
Business Development Manager for Berntsen International, Inc. at Madison, Wisconsin
Sr. GIS Apps Product Engineer for ESRI at Portland, ME, Maine
Mechanical Engineer 2 for Lam Research at Fremont, California
Upcoming Events
Consumer Electronics Show 2025 - CES 2025 at Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas NV - Jan 7 - 10, 2025
Commercial UAV Expo 2025 at Amsterdam Netherlands - Apr 8 - 10, 2025
Commercial UAV Expo 2025 at RAI Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands - Apr 8 - 11, 2025
Geospatial World Forum 2025 at Madrid Marriott Auditorium Madrid Spain - Apr 22 - 25, 2025



© 2025 Internet Business Systems, Inc.
670 Aberdeen Way, Milpitas, CA 95035
+1 (408) 882-6554 — Contact Us, or visit our other sites:
TechJobsCafe - Technical Jobs and Resumes EDACafe - Electronic Design Automation GISCafe - Geographical Information Services  MCADCafe - Mechanical Design and Engineering ShareCG - Share Computer Graphic (CG) Animation, 3D Art and 3D Models
  Privacy PolicyAdvertise