Jamco America partners with Airtech for 3DP tool recycling | CompositesWorld

Aerospace manufacturer joins forces with composite materials company to achieve sustainable manufacturing practices that overcome traditional composite layup tooling.

3D printed (3DP) tool. Source | Airtech, Jamco

Jamco America Inc. (Everett, Wash., U.S.), an interior products supplier and turnkey aircraft interiors integrator in the aerospace industry, announces its partnership with Airtech Advanced Materials Group (Huntington Beach, Calif., U.S.) to advance aerospace manufacturing through 3D printing (3DP) tool recycling. The partnership will reportedly enable faster production of finished goods with reduced risk and cost and a lower total carbon footprint.

The partnership between Jamco and Airtech began in 2006, with Airtech supplying composite manufacturing consumables and supporting materials to Jamco. In 2021, the collaboration expanded into large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) tooling. Jamco’s goal is to explore LFAM technology for high-temperature applications, aiming to overcome the limitations of traditional composite layup tooling. According to the company, these efforts promise to significantly reduce lead times and supply chain delays while enhancing performance and reducing the risk of defects in finished parts.

The LFAM molds produced by Airtech use its Dahltram I350CF thermoplastic resin, a fully recyclable polymer. Depending on the application’s requirements, Airtech can grind up and compound this resin into a blended or 100% recycled formulation. Ongoing testing at Airtech aims to validate the best blended formulations for high-performance applications such as aerospace tooling and molds.

Through this partnership, Jamco and Airtech aim to revolutionize aerospace manufacturing and enhance product quality, reduce lead times, lower production costs and minimize environmental impact, thus ensuring greater sustainability, cost-effectiveness and safety across the industry.

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