Build Lighter. Iterate Faster. Manufacture with Confidence.
Stratasys additive manufacturing solutions help aerospace teams accelerate prototyping, reduce tooling dependency, produce complex geometries, and move toward lighter, flight ready parts with high-performance materials and regulated workflows.
Functional Prototyping
Quickly produce functional prototypes that support fit checks, assembly studies, airflow concepts, ergonomic reviews, test fixtures, and production-intent evaluation. For aerospace teams working under tight program timelines, additive manufacturing helps reduce iteration time before committing to expensive tooling, machining, or certification pathways.
Best Fit Technology:
- P3 DLP: Produce high-accuracy, smooth-finish prototypes.
- SLA: Create accurate fit and form prototypes with smooth sidewalls.
Benefits:
- Reduce prototyping time by printing iterations in hours or days.
- Use high-performance materials for durable, production-relevant testing.
- Support faster design decisions across engineering, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
Investment Casting
For aerospace metal components with complex geometries, 3D-printed investment casting patterns can help teams bypass traditional wax tooling and move directly from CAD to castable master patterns more quickly.
Best Fit Technology:
SLA: Support intricate patterns with strong surface quality and dimensional accuracy.
Benefits:
- Create master patterns up to 75% faster than CNC machining and wax injection workflows.
- Create intricate geometries that are difficult or uneconomical with conventional wax tooling or CNC machined patterns.
- Support faster design iteration for small-batch and complex aerospace metal components.
Wind Tunnel Modeling
Accurate aerodynamic testing depends on models that match CAD intent, capture fine details, and stand up to demanding test environments.
Best Fit Technology:
SLA: Produce high-precision wind tunnel models with smooth surfaces and complex geometry.
Benefits:
- Accelerate aerodynamic model production and reduce testing bottlenecks.
- Create complex aerodynamic features and internal channels directly in the print.
- Enable faster design-test-refine cycles alongside CFD and physical validation.
Lightweight End Use Parts
Stratasys additive manufacturing enables tool free production of complex, lightweight components that do not compromise strength, consistency, or compliance readiness including ducts, brackets, clamps, UAV components, and MRO spares.
Best Fit Technology:
P3 DLP: Produce high-accuracy components with high strength-to-weight ratio.
Benefits:
- Reduce part weight through high performance materials and design optimization that can also increase strength.
- Use materials designed for aerospace requirements such as FST performance, traceability, ESD capability, and chemical and thermal resistance.
- Improve consistency and repeatability with qualified workflows, documented materials, and controlled production processes.
Industrial Manufacturing
Stratasys 3D printing solutions can also support the aerospace manufacturing floor with jigs, fixtures, composite and mold tooling, connector housings, and much more to improve speed, precision, ergonomics, and repeatability.
Best Stratasys 3D Printers for Aerospace Applications
