Capabilities
Advanced digital capabilities supporting design and manufacture
Capabilities
The iAero Centre is a unique nurturing environment in which talent, creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation can flourish. Whether you are a major industry OEM or an SME, the opportunity to learn and develop is part of the iAero innovation offer. A number of in-house capabilities are already in-situ to support design, development and manufacture within a collaborative environment enabling tenants and collaborators at iAero to evolve.
However, our supportive offer is just as important. The Centre is a unique, nurturing environment in which talent, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation within SMEs can flourish and reach major industry companies. It is where new products and high value design and engineering solutions are being developed in collaboration with key industrial partners.
3D Printing Suite
Through collaboration with Mark3D & Markforged, Leonardo Helicopters and Yeovil College, a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art 3D printing machines are sited at iAero. Primarily aimed at developmental printing, these are available for use by any company within the centre.
The printing capability is comprehensive and comprises the Markforged:
- FX20 – an ULTEM ™ filament capable production platform for big, strong and high temp parts
- Metal X System – An accessible way to go from design to metal part, this is a leading ‘end-to-end’ additive manufacturing solution [including wash and sintering system]
- X7 – The turnkey industrial 3D printer for many types of functional parts, including contiuous carbon fibre reinforcement
- Mark 2 and Mark 2 Fieldmade NOMAD – A powerful and professional 3D printer, capable of carbon fibre printing and in the NOMAD version, a portable system with in built power supply to enable mobilised 3D printing
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Through collaboration with Yeovil College, we have Computer Aided Design (CAD) Terminals now available, sited within the collaboration room. These are for use by any company within the centre, whether full-time tenants or by ‘hot-desk’ users on a day/week/month basis. Currently, use of the CAD system requires a user licence and software but it is planned that licences and Solidworks CAD software will be available in the coming months.
Plastometrex Plastometer
In conjunction with Plastometrex and Leonardo Helicopters, a Benchtop Plastometer is sited within iAero and can be used by full-time tenants or by ‘hot-desk’ users on a day/week/month basis.
- Benchtop Plastometer – A mechanical testing device that extracts metal stress-strain curves from indentation test data in under five minutes
Coming Soon
- Solidworks Computer Aided Design software and associated licences for use with the CAD terminals sited at iAero.
- Desoutter Digital Test Bench to develop factory of the future manufacturing techniques.
- VARJO 3D goggles / synthetic environment with a green screen for use in developing flight testing models, manufacturing techniques and aerospace training systems.
