Pellet 3D printing organisation AIM3D has certified a new ExAM A 510 3D printing system for ULTEM 9085 aerospace applications.
The company worked with Stefan Roeding of AM-MRO GmbH, a provider of consulting, training, and auditing services to aerospace manufacturers, to develop the ExAM A 510 and the printing process to meet the aerospace industry’s stringent requirements.
AM-MRO supports customers in introducing, qualifying, and implementing processes to ensure compliance with applicable aviation standards and approval requirements.
With the ExAM A 510 machine, the focus was on ULTEM 9085. The new ExAM A 510 system had to demonstrate consistent tensile strength in ULTEM 9085 tensile specimens regardless of the machine or build position. The certification process with AM-MRO combines high mechanical performance of the parts with maximum process stability of the 3D printing system. Per AIM3D, all process parameters were documented, standardised, and optimised during certification.
Among the features of the ExAM A 510 3D printing system are a 'slightly higher density' than that of filament-printed parts, AIM3D says, while system modifications focused on highly uniform temperature distribution throughout the build chamber, as well as continuously controlled ULTEM 9085 material feeding in terms of temperature, dryness, and tamper protection. Support structures are said to be easy to remove, and the build chamber is actively heated on all sides. The large viewing window that is a distinctive feature of the standard ExAM 510 has been replaced by a camera for monitoring the build chamber.
“Readiness for aviation with an ExAM A 510 combines substantial material cost advantages with part optimisation,” said Stefan Roeding, CEO of AM-MRO. “It also meets all requirements for decentralised, timely on-site manufacturing, from batches of one to medium-sized production runs, with high process stability and high part quality. For aviation users, a manufacturing strategy based on a pellet-fed 3D printing system is a key factor in improving value creation and part quality, while enabling the use of unmixed recycled aviation materials.”
AIM3D will showcase the ExAM A 510 system, along with a series of aerospace components, at Formnext 2026. The company will also present sample parts made from pure, medically certified PEEK and printed on an ExAM 510, alongside other PEEK components. AIM3D will also exhibit a smaller ExAM system, positioned below the ExAM 255, that boasts a heated build chamber. This machine is still under development.
