Case Study: Fokker Technologies achieves lightweight, assembly-free cable twist wheels and cost savings with Materialise 3D printing

Organizing Meters of Aircraft Wiring Fokker Elmo’s Cable Twist Wheels

Fokker Technologies’ Fokker Elmo division, which designs aircraft Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems, needed a lighter, cheaper and more functional way to organize long, stiff wiring bundles using a cable twist wheel. Their existing polyurethane cast design with rubber snap hinges was heavy, fragile, costly and required laborious assembly, and the snap mechanism made wire evacuation difficult. Fokker Elmo approached Materialise to explore 3D printing as an alternative.

Materialise redesigned the twist wheel for additive manufacturing, integrating a bi-directional snap hinge into a single-build part and using Materialise 3-matic to optimize the structure for low weight. Materialise validated hinge functionality through testing, eliminated assembly, offered color-dyeing per aircraft codes, and delivered a lean, easier-to-turn twist wheel that secures and evacuates wires reliably—resulting in reduced part weight and assembly steps and substantial cost savings.

Fokker Technologies

Han Suijkerbuijk

Project Engineer