Case Study: Airbus Defence and Space achieves 50% weight reduction and faster production with 3D Systems’ Direct Metal Printing

Airbus Defence and Space achieves 50% weight reduction and faster production times using 3D Systems’ Direct Metal Printing

3D Systems partnered with Airbus Defence and Space to tackle a long‑standing aerospace challenge: make RF filters for telecommunications satellites lighter, faster to produce and easier to customize without sacrificing performance or flight qualification. Traditional machined filters required multiple assembled halves, adding weight, cost and production time—critical drawbacks when every kilogram to geostationary orbit is expensive.

Using a ProX DMP 320 and LaserForm AlSi10Mg, the teams redesigned the filter as a single, 3D‑printed monolithic part with a depressed super‑ellipsoidal cavity that improves RF performance. The result: a space‑qualified, consolidated design that halved the mass, cut production time and costs, met rigorous launch and in‑orbit tests, and unlocked further mass‑ and part‑count reductions for future satellites.

Airbus Defence and Space

Paul Booth

RF Engineer