[3D Printing Applications] Royal Netherlands Air Force: 3D printing technology takes off!

[3D Printing Applications] Royal Netherlands Air Force: Taking off with 3D printing!



The Royal Netherlands Air Force is the guardian of the Netherlands' airspace, and their fleet includes a variety of helicopters, fighter jets, and large cargo planes. These aircraft have many unique custom parts that are difficult to find using off-the-shelf components—thus opening up a new opportunity for them to use the Ultimaker 3D printer .
The Woensdrecht military base is the main maintenance site for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, where personnel perform regular maintenance and repairs on various aircraft types, such as Chinooks, Apaches, NH90s, and F-16s. The base is also home to the Royal Netherlands Air Force Academy, Konquenlijke Militaire School Luchtmacht (KMSL).



"The Air Force has many specialized components, so manufacturing our own tools is essential," Beth emphasized.

• College Studio: MakAIRsJop
Bas Janssen is a member of the Ambition Innovation Results (AIR) department, dedicated to acquiring knowledge of the latest technologies such as laser cutting and 3D printing and sharing it with his colleagues; to achieve this goal, he established a research studio within the Royal Netherlands Air Force: MakAIRsJop.
His workshop helps students and engineers find new solutions to various work challenges; initially, Beth started by using multiple Ultimaker 3D printers to hold workshops. After quickly becoming familiar with the software and hardware, they discovered this was an opportunity to improve the speed and efficiency of air force base maintenance.



"People who use 3D printing usually don't have a technical background. Thanks to the rapid development of technology, nowadays only about three hours of instruction is enough for them to start solving problems they encounter in their work."

Accessories, tools and fixtures


Maintaining complex, custom-designed aircraft is a huge challenge, involving many uncommon parts and systems, but 3D printing simplifies the work. For creating these purpose-specific tools, he offered a more cost-effective approach, and Beth and his team quickly discovered that replacing outsourcing with 3D-printed parts over the past two years has significantly saved them time and money.

For example, when transporting jet engines, certain openings need to be covered with special caps; these custom-made items are expensive and have long lead times, but using Ultimaker for 3D printing only takes about two hours.
We use Ultimaker ’s highest precision for 3D printing of tools, fixtures and prototypes.



The Ultimaker 3D printer is also used to produce specialized adjustment tools, for example, for certain helicopter parts that are difficult to configure during installation. Using simple 3D printing aids (further reading: a glimmer of hope for patients with spinal muscular atrophy ), these details can be adjusted before the parts are installed on the helicopter, saving hours for each aircraft.
Some metal parts must be machined using CNC machining in the later stages. With the Ultimaker 3D printer for early prototyping and improvement testing, they can quickly and cost-effectively replace the design before finally producing CNC parts.

3D printing – a new technology taking off
Following the initial success of the seminar, the Royal Netherlands Air Force began to expand its 3D printing activities (further reading: "New Generation Intelligent Manufacturing Dream" traveling vehicle ); they also purchased Ultimaker S5s for their 3D printing workshop to print larger parts (further reading: Ultimaker S5 large-size test ) and used the latest materials and hardware.



Beth now recommends that every Air Force maintenance site should utilize 3D printing technology. "The critical transition period for trainees to truly become fifth-generation Air Force personnel is when they realize they don't have to limit themselves and can make changes now. Ultimaker can do that, helping people understand what 3D printing technology can do for them now—without a long learning curve. Today's software and hardware can help people turn ideas into reality."

His team will be able to share 3D models, create new designs, and support internal colleagues in 3D printing ; in this way, Air Force engineers can directly manufacture the tools they need internally.

What are the six major benefits that the Ultimaker 3D printer brings to the Royal Netherlands Air Force?

• Fabrication of complex parts. • Customized adjustment tools. • Meets timely testing and development needs. • Assists in pre-processing of metal parts. • Easy to operate and quick to learn. • High efficiency and cost-effective in-house fabrication.

Want to witness the power of the Ultimaker 3D printer ? The "Next Generation Intelligent Manufacturing Dream" tour bus is currently traveling around Taiwan. Check out the nearest show to you, and there will be free coffee and gifts on site!
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