Etihad Airways Engineering, the largest commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider in the Middle East has signed an agreement with Diehl Aerosystems, a corporate division of Diehl Group to jointly design, manufacture and install the first serial produced 3D-printed cabin plastic part on an aircraft for one of its customers. Etihad Airways Engineering is the first airline (MRO) provider to win European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval to design, certify, manufacture and fly 3D-printed aircraft cabin plastic parts.
Etihad Airways Engineering and Diehl have partnered to expand and produce an inflight entertainment (IFE) cover plate which will be installed in economy seats on several aircraft of a Middle Eastern airline.
Jeff Wilkinson, Etihad Airways Engineering chief executive officer, said, “Etihad Airways Engineering is leveraging its Part 21J Design Organisation approval by EASA – with Diehl contributing as a Part 21G Production Organisation – in this pilot project.
“Our partnership with Diehl will help us commercialise this technology and make it available to our customers around the world.”
He explained that the 3D-printed part offered a cost saving of around 20 to 30 per cent, with the added benefit of not requiring tooling and avoiding any permanent modification to the seat.
Diehl Aerosystems has been into 3D printing technology for several years providing EASA-certified 3D-printed aircraft parts to the aviation industry.
Etihad Airways Engineering is an AS9110 certified organisation and already holds EASA 145 and EASA 21J approval for designing and undertaking minor and major changes and repairs.
