When aerospace engineer Sheila Cummings (SC) began her career in defence, first in advanced technology satellites and then missile defence, she hadn’t thought about starting her own business. Now, as founder and CEO of Cummings Aerospace, an aerospace engineering company based in Huntsville, Alabama, Cummings is leading the delivery of resilient engineering solutions, designed for defence modernisation and readiness, and using 3D printing to do it.
Here, Cummings talks to TCT about how the company’s Hellhound family of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) uses additive manufacturing to optimise capabilities, costs and logistics, and how the technology is becoming an essential tool in the modern defence supply chain.
TCT: You founded Cummings Aerospace in 2009. When did AM first come into the mix?
SC: Back in 2014, 2015, we were interested in expanding the company into manufacturing and we were looking for a low-cost way to break into the market. Several of our engineers at the time had some experience with 3D printing, and 3D printers.
