UK 3D printing company awarded Nadcap for aerospace industry

Materials Solutions, a Siemens company specialised in additive manufacturing (AM), has achieved Nadcap accreditation for AM in the aerospace industry.

Materials Solutions, which has its headquarters in Worcester, has provided AM parts and components to the aerospace industry since its founding in 2006.

The business is a pioneer in the use of selective laser melting (SLM) technology for the manufacture of high-performance metal parts. SLM applications in the Materials Solutions factory range from high temperature components found in gas turbines and jet engines, to tooling applications as well as lightweight structural components and hydraulic applications.

The company has grown considerably in the past 12 months. Since moving into new facilities in Worcester, Materials Solutions has increased the number of printers and the types of materials it processes as it looks towards serial production and industrialisation of additive manufacturing.

In addition to the aerospace industry, Materials Solutions supplies to a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, power generation, tooling and process industries and motor sport.

Phil Hatherley, general manager at Materials Solutions said: “The team are specialists in using additive manufacturing technology to solve complex engineering challenges for our customers. We knew that in order to deliver the highest quality parts for the aerospace sector we needed to get the Nadcap accreditation to show we were serious about working in the sector.

“We want to be able to shift the perception of 3D printing from being a technology associated with prototyping to a viable option for the serial production of additively manufactured parts for a heavily regulated sector.”

The Nadcap programme, which is the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program, recognises companies that have demonstrated ongoing commitment to quality by satisfying customer and industry specifications.

Nadcap accreditation has long been incorporated by the aerospace industry into their risk mitigation activity as it validates compliance to industry standards, best practices and customer requirements.

Materials Solutions www.materialssolutions.co.uk