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Airtech Advanced Materials Group (Huntington Beach, Calif., U.S.) announces that it has invested in new additive manufacturing technology, in the form of a Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) 3D printing machine with integrated machining capability. 

The LSAM relies on thermoplastic extrusion, a core competancy of Airtech, and the company says it can take tooling from conception to the shop floor significantly faster than using conventional methods. Because additive manufacturing uses almost the exact amount of material required, resulting in less touch labor and shorter lead times, Airtech believes that additive manufacturing is a game-changer that will change the tooling manufacturing world, especially in the aerospace industry. 

Large-scale tooling in the form of trim fixtures, holding fixtures, and layup molds can be designed, tooled, and built faster without compromising on quality.

In addition, Airtech has invested in a 60,000 square-foot (5,574 square-meter) expansion at its Custom Engineered Products division in Springfield, Tenn., U.S.

“Airtech has  been an extrusion company for over 45 years and is ready to  take the next step into extrusion involving additive manufacturing, 3D printing. This type of extrusion is similar to what we  are doing now with films but will be used to create new tooling with internal heating (OOA) on a large scale, up to 40 feet long. We are developing new technologies to help our partners reduce cost and increase productivity,” says Jeff Dahlgren, president/CEO of Airtech Advanced Materials Group.