Aciturri installs the first aircraft parts manufactured with additive technology

press release

• Aciturri is the first Spanish company approved by Airbus to manufacture flying parts with this technology
• The company has been working since 2015 on the design and development of products through additive manufacturing technologies (3D printing) in collaboration with the Idonial technology centre in Asturias

Aciturri Additive Manufacturing, a division of Aciturri, specialized in the development and production of aeronautical components using additive manufacturing technologies, has installed the first flying parts manufactured in Spain using this technology, in the vertical stabilizer (VTP) of an Airbus A350.

Aciturri obtained EN 9100 certification for these parts in 2019 and becomes the first work package provider to be qualified. They are manufactured using molten deposition or FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) technology in ULTEM 9085, a resistant, lightweight, non-flammable thermoplastic material. These components are part of the installation of the video camera located in the vertical stabilizer, which allows passengers to have a panoramic view of the aircraft from their seat screen, and the long-range transmission antenna that keeps the aircraft in contact with the ground.

One of the strategic objectives of Aciturri is to incorporate the different manufacturing technologies present in the market and to investigate their application in airplane components, both in the structure and in the engine area. In this aspect the additive manufacturing is one of the great revolutions for the aeronautical industry because it makes possible the manufacturing of lighter, reliable and efficient components with a higher complexity than the one achieved with the conventional technologies.

With this purpose Aciturri created in 2015 the company Aciturri Additive Manufacturing and started the work centre of the Scientific and Technological Park of Gijón. Since then, Aciturri has counted on the support of IDONIAL as a long term technological partner, with a solid knowledge of the technology and the necessary experience in its industrial application in various sectors.

The achievement of the first results after almost five years of existence and the consolidation of the company's commitment to the development of this technology, have been possible thanks to the efforts of all the Aciturri team to promote this project.