CRP USA Achieves AS9100D Certification for 3D Printing Aerospace Parts

CRP USA, a specialist provider of additive manufacturing (AM) services and the high performance Windform family of composite materials, has received the AS9100 Rev D certification for the 3D printing of parts for the aerospace industry.

With the stringent requirements of the aerospace industry, the AS9100D certification is critical to quality management and assurance and shows that CRP USA is capable of producing the most demanding parts in the aerospace sector. Earlier this year in May, the company had collaborated with high-tech SME Alba Orbital to improve the access, manufacturability, and efficiency of PocketQube satellite deployers, the Albapod 2.0. These satellites measure as small as five cubic centimeters with a mass of just 250 grams. The effectiveness of the Windform materials was so evident that the Alba Oribtal team said, “The most innovative aspect of the project was the sheer number of components we switched over to Windform XT 2.0, not only was the shell redesigned in the material, but also the moving ejection mechanism and door assembly”.

Images courtesy of CRP USA

Founded in 2008, the company initially specialized in AM applications using Windform for on-car and wind tunnel components. Today, the companies AM solutions and composite materials, especially the TOP-Line family of flame-retardant, glass-fiber reinforced laser sintering materials, have found advanced application in space, aerospace, automotive, UAV, medical, motorsports and even high performance sports sectors.

Stewart Davis, who has more than two decades of experience in additive manufacturing and Director of Operations at CRP USA, commented: “We have taken our expertise in Additive Manufacturing solutions to new heights to produce parts for the most demanding sectors as Aerospace and Defense. Our team is working alongside key space industry leaders, supplying value-added high-performance 3D printed products to meet their needs. AS9100 Rev.D certification reflects our dedication to achieving the highest standard of customer satisfaction; moreover, it is a further demonstration of the effectiveness of additive manufacturing and use of Windform as structural materials for space and aerospace applications.”

In January this year, the company announced a new material for high speed sintering (HSS) called Windform P2, the second in the Windform P-line of materials. P2 features improved stiffness due to reinforcement, while preserving the tensile strength of the P1 material, for production grade 3D printing. Last year, the company had presented at AMUG 2019 the effectiveness of its materials in the development of CubeSats used to dispense TubeSatellites. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company made its materials available to biomedical companies and hospitals to support the small batch production of small parts for medical equipment in Italy.

Earlier in August, Additive Flight Solutions had also earned the AS9100D certification, and we had spoken about how the new certification had updated more than 98% in the previous standard. with a stronger focus on accountability, safety protocols, preventive risk management, and reducing counterfeiting. Several service bureau’s serving the aerospace industry have looked to earn the AS9100D certification, including Forecast3D, and BEAMIT in Europe, which was recently acquired by Sandvik.