Lockheed Martin uses 3D printing in the production of F-35 simulator cockpits

A team of engineers from Lockheed Martin’s “F-35 Training & Logistics” developed a fighter simulator cockpit – the F-35 Full Mission Simulator (FMS). The project took several years, but finally the team was able to celebrate the shipment of the first two 3D-printed cockpits to MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Cherry Point – a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina. The cockpits are manufactured in a complex process that is carried out at the Rotary and Mission Systems facility in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The 3D-printed cockpit is at the heart of Lockheed Martin’s digital transformation. When the team started the project, they had to look at its extremely complex geometry and thoroughly redesign it, focusing on the existing production capabilities as well as their limitations. The overarching goal was to maximize the benefits throughout the product life cycle in terms of quality, cost and production schedule. 3D printing technology is now being used on other platforms and will become the benchmark for training devices.

In addition, the team used 3D scanning technology to create the so-called digital twins – a digital visualization of the shop floor to understand where 3D printed cockpits can be installed. Given the reduction in the time it takes to produce a physical cockpit, advanced planning is needed to manage order flow and deliveries to customers in the shortest possible time.

The use of additive technologies allowed to shorten the total time of order completion by 75%. It also reduced the total number of metal parts by 70%. All of this greatly simplifies the production of FMS simulators and allows the team to increase the speed at which simulators can be delivered to customers. The first deliveries of the simulators will take place in October 2022, and the next contract covers 26 more, of which as many as 14 are cockpits printed in 3D printing technology.

Source: www.lockheedmartin.com