---
title: "Airframe Designs completes polymer AM project"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/airframe-designs-completes-polymer-am-project/
date: 2025-03-03
modified: 2025-03-03
lang: en
author: "Edward Wakefield"
description: "Airframe Designs, an aerospace manufacturing company, has completed a collaborative R&D project, co-funded by Innovate UK, to advance ultra-polymer additive manufacturing of interior parts for aircraft cabins. Airframe Designs led..."
categories:
  - "Advanced Polymers"
  - "Aerospace AM"
tags:
  - "insights"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/jj-640x342.jpg
word_count: 464
---

# Airframe Designs completes polymer AM project

[Airframe Designs, an aerospace manufacturing company](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/afd-3d/), has completed a collaborative R&D project, co-funded by Innovate UK, to advance ultra-polymer additive manufacturing of interior parts for aircraft cabins. Airframe Designs led the 18-month government-funded NATEP project alongside MIX14, a flammability test house, and AMS, a structural test house.

The project aimed to use soluble supports in combination with a new ultra-polymer material called AM200. The material is produced locally in the North-West by Victrex, in Thornton-Cleveleys, and has the unique ability to be 3D printed with soluble support. The material was benchmarked against [the popular aerospace polymer ULTEM 9085](https://www.voxelmatters.com/aim3d-unveils-new-line-of-pellet-extruders/), and the project enabled the company to develop robust processes for both material systems as it heads towards becoming a UK CAA Part21G production organization approved to print commercial aviation flying parts.

The National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) is a £20 million program, funded by the Department for Business and Trade through the Aerospace Technology Institute - managed by Innovate UK - that has developed more than 80 different aerospace technologies across the UK supply chain.

“We’re proud to be at the cutting edge of a project such as this, using our engineering and advanced manufacturing excellence to be a leader in this kind of airworthy part production," said Jerrod Hartley, CEO of Airframe Designs. “We are using water-soluble support in the 3D printing process with faster manufacture and less potential for damage than current manual methods, and building a database of materials which can be used in the parts being developed for the future.”

![Airframe Designs completes polymer AM project - using soluble supports and AM200 to produce interior parts for aircraft cabins.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AFD_Jan25_32-scaled-uai-1440x902-1.jpg)

“This is just the kind of project we want to encourage and support, helping to demonstrate the capability of the aerospace sector in the UK when it comes to innovation for the future. [The 3D printing sector](https://www.voxelmatters.com/aerospace-am-market-worth-1-6-billion-in-2023-driven-by-end-users-and-metal-am-products/) is helping to create new solutions not previously possible," said Steven Stanley, a representative of NATEP.

The services offered by Airframe Designs are designed to meet the requirements of the aerospace and defense sectors for lightweight ultra-polymer materials that can meet both structural and flammability airworthiness.

The project opens opportunities for flight-worthy parts within the aircraft cabin environment and aircraft interiors market. The technology can also be adapted for other industries including military aerospace, space, defense, nuclear, rail, and automotive.

Airframe Designs has recently been re-certified to AS9100D/BS EN ISO 9001:2015 for [aerospace quality standards](https://www.voxelmatters.com/materialise-achieves-en-9100-certification-for-aerospace-production/) and achieved re-certification to ISO 14001 for effective environmental management systems. It also holds ISO 27001 certification for information security management and is accredited to Cyber Essentials Plus.

Recent projects undertaken by the company include the integration of new systems into heavy lift drone platforms, conceptual design at a platform level for new uncrewed air systems, test rig and tooling for electric vehicle propulsion systems, and the design and analysis of operator consoles for a special mission aircraft.