UK Aerospace Center With Leonardo and Markforged Will Use Additive Manufacturing

Aerospace is a field which constantly strives for innovation and pushes the boundaries in order to produce quality results. It is also a field in which the quality, durability and appropriateness of parts is very important because of the high stakes involved. Therefore, the opening of an additive manufacturing space within an aerospace center in the south-west of the UK is an indication that the method could pave the way for flight technology.

In a collaboration between Leonardo Helicopters, Markforged, Yeovil College, and Mark3D (Markforged UK distributor), the center in Yeovil, Somerset, will gain AM capability, led by the team behind the iAero project. The center is a 2,398 square meter facility with top quality equipment and spaces. As explained by Austin Chick, head of iAero, they want to develop ‘new products and high value design and engineering solutions’ which will be able to make ideas a reality, and they have chosen additive manufacturing to achieve this. The team wish to enable collaboration between industry and start-ups and foster entrepreneurship.

The center has big spaces suitable for conferences, collaborations, tests and workforces.

The center will be equipped with Markforged’s full range of printers, including the FX20, as well as its various material solutions, from ULTEM polymer to composite materials such as carbon fiber and engineering metals. This range will allow the team to develop a number of different products with different properties and uses within aerospace. Furthermore, Leonardo will test and certify parts from Markforged to see how they perform in flight.