CAES to build additive manufacturing facility in Exeter
To meet ‘our customers’ next-generation design challenges’
CAES – Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions – an. Arlington, Va.-based company that serves the aerospace and defense industries, is building a new advanced 3D manufacturing operation at its site in Exeter, NH, that will feature a dedicated 3D printing laboratory to support CAES’ partnership with SWISSto12, a provider of 3D printed technology for radio frequency applications in the aerospace and defense industry.
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, for RF systems is seen as a solution to address increasingly challenging size, weight, power and cost requirements for next-generation aerospace and defense platforms. It requires high-precision formats and complex geometries that allow form factors and performance that cannot be achieved with standard manufacturing solutions.
“CAES’ investment in additive manufacturing is a direct response to our customers’ next-generation design challenges for rugged, ever-smaller, and complex parts,” said Dave Young, chief technology officer at CAES.
The operations will feature dedicated equipment for 3D-printed RF technology design and manufacturing including a qualified laser powder bed fusion machine, associated process support equipment, proprietary metal finishing and plating line, and complete RF testing capability.
