Dassault Falcon Jet

Use Case – ULTEM™ 1010 Resin Composite Tooling

Customer Profile
Dassault Aviation is a French aerospace company producing
both military and civil aircraft, including the Falcon series
of business jets. With a legacy of innovation and technical
investment, Dassault uses 3D printing to optimize its production
processes to reduce both lead time and cost.

Challenge
Dassault traditionally used FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) molds
to create composite aircraft structures. However, these tools are
expensive and can take months to produce. Additionally, they
are heavy and require a forklift to lift and transport. For its Falcon The heavy FRP lay-up tool (bottom) and the ULTEM™ 1010
business jets, Dassault sought a more timely and less costly resin tool (top) being held by the technician.
solution to mold the aircraft’s composite interior panels.

Solution
In collaboration with Stratasys, Dassault 3D printed a composite
lay-up tool with ULTEM™ 1010 resin. This material can withstand
temperatures up to 350 °F (177 °C) and pressures as high as
100 psig (690 kPa), making it capable of withstanding most
vacuum-bag or autoclave composite consolidation processes.
The tool was printed with a sparse-fill interior construction,
reducing its weight, while meeting Dassault’s design requirements
of 250 °F (121 °C) and 14.7 psi (101.3 kPa).

Impact
The ULTEM™ 1010 resin lay-up tool took approximately three
weeks to produce, including all post-print processing. This is
The ULTEM™ 1010 resin tool shown with the composite
a three-month reduction in lead time compared to the time material being applied.
required to produce a standard FRP tool. In addition, the 3D
printed ULTEM™ mold saved Dassault nearly $20,000, a 75%
Cost Savings Lead Time Savings
cost reduction. The lay-up tool weight was also reduced to only
17 pounds, light enough for one person to move and carry.

$20K – 75% 3 months – 81%

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