Jul 24, 2018 | By Thomas
Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) have signed agreement with Airbus to jointly develop 3D printed spare parts to enhance support for aircraft in operation with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).
Left to right: DSTA Chief Executive Mr Tan Peng Yam; DSTA Director Air Systems Ms Ngiam Le Na; Airbus Defence and Space Head of Military Aircraft Services Stephan Miegel; and Airbus Defence and Space Head of Military Aircraft, Fernando Alonso after the signing at Farnborough Airshow.
Under the terms of an implementation agreement signed at the Farnborough Airshow, Airbus Defence and Space will support DSTA in designing and certifying the 3D-printed spare parts for the RSAF aircraft.
The parts produced by additive manufacturing will initially be tested on the Singapore’s new fleet of A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (A330-MRTT) aircraft.
Head of Military Aircraft Services at Airbus Defence and Space, Stephan Miegel, said: “It is absolutely clear that digitalisation represents the future of military aircraft services and we are now at a point where we can begin to explore the most promising techniques on operational fleets. We greatly appreciate the innovative approach of DSTA in going on this journey with us.
“Following this first agreement on 3D-printing, we have further agreed to collaborate on data analytics for predictive maintenance. The collaboration will add on to the development of Airbus’s new SmartForce suite of maintenance data analytics launched at Farnborough.”
The SmartForce system, which was launched on Monday, is a suite of services that allows operators to exploit aircraft data to improve troubleshooting, optimize maintenance effort, predict maintenance actions and plan smartly for material demand.
The RSAF has acquired the A330 MRTT and The first A330 MRTT aircraft is expected to be delivered to the Singapore Air Force in the coming months.
The DSTA is a statutory board set up under Singapore's Ministry of Defence. It implements defence technology plans, acquires defence material and develops defence infrastructure for the ministry.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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