Case Study: 328 Support Services achieves lighter, cheaper, faster flight-ready spare parts with Materialise

Lighter, Faster, Cheaper Manufacturing Flight-Ready Parts for 328 Support Services

328 Support Services, the type-certificate holder for the Dornier 328 aircraft, faced high costs and slow turnaround for short-run spare parts produced by traditional methods and wanted a lighter, more cost‑efficient material. To relaunch serial production and better manage aftermarket demand, 328 engaged Materialise and its aerospace manufacturing services to explore 3D-printed, flight‑ready plastic parts.

Materialise implemented certified additive manufacturing (EN 9100, EASA 21), performing printability checks, First Article Inspection and Form 1 accreditation, then producing parts on demand in flame‑retardant polyamide (PA 2241 FR). The result: lighter, cheaper spare parts with fast lead times (parts have been produced within a week), eliminated costly tooling and excess inventory, and improved spare‑parts availability for 328 Support Services.

328 Support Services

Volker Liedloff

Team Leader Interior Engineering