As the aerospace industry intensifies its focus on sustainability, manufacturers are looking to material suppliers to support objectives like waste reduction, circularity and responsible material use, all without compromising on the performance demands.

With over 50 years of experience in high-performance composites, Airtech Advanced Materials is delivering on this need through innovation in additive manufacturing. Its Dahltram resin portfolio includes recyclable and bio-based materials engineered for composite tooling, helping reduce landfill waste and extend material value. Several of these materials are also available as 100% recycle-grade options.

To further support sustainability goals, Airtech has developed a closed-loop recycling program that allows customers to return used materials for responsible reuse or repurposing. This end-of-life support is made possible by Airtech’s unique position as both a material formulator and recycler, ensuring traceability, product integrity and ongoing collaboration throughout the material lifecycle.

“Airtech believes that sustainability in aerospace starts with smarter material choices,” the company shared. “That’s why we’ve developed a range of innovative, recyclable materials designed to reduce waste and maximize material value—without compromising performance.”

These materials, recently presented by Airtech at the International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, offer a versatile range of properties that cover many of the tooling applications required by the aerospace industry, whether it’s a trim tool or a heavy duty autoclave tooling component.

For example, British aerospace multinational BAE Systems employed Ingersoll Machine Tools’ large-format AM and Airtech’s Dahltram I-350CF material to develop a high-temperature mold tooling for a next-gen fighter aircraft. This tool successfully underwent autoclave cycles of 180°C cure and 100 psi (7 bar) and ultimately enabled BAE Systems to benefit from a significantly reduced lead time, lower costs and simpler workflow.

Airtech demonstrated that a tool 3D printed from Dahltram I-350CF could successfully undergo over 500 autoclave cycles of 176°C and 100 psi (7 bar) without signs of failure. The testing was performed by Airtech at its facility in Huntington Beach, California and is significant in showcasing the viability of 3D printed composite tooling, not only for prototyping or small batches, but for larger production runs.

“Our Dahltram I-350CF has seen the widest use in aerospace programs to date,” Gregory Haye, Director of Additive Manufacturing at Airtech, told us. “Our autoclave cycle report walks through the full lifecycle of 500 uses in a 180°C/350°F curing tool proving the tool can maintain aerospace accuracy and vacuum integrity with our materials. This level of detail and data has supported our successful use and sale of this material to customers globally.”

The company’s Dahltram C-250CF resin, for its part, was used in the production of a large-scale automated fiber placement (AFP) mold that was used by an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft company. The mold, which was made up of four parts with two removable details, ultimately facilitated the production of a part measuring 4.3 x 2 meters.

Also notable about the company’s range of tooling resins is that the materials are all fully recyclable. This means that aerospace manufacturers can establish greater circularity when it comes to their composite tooling production and dramatically minimize waste. This is in addition to the basic benefits of using AM, which reduces material usage in the first place compared to subtractive tooling production methods.

Airtech’s already close ties to the aerospace industry are being further reinforced by its versatile and aerospace-ready materials. A recent agreement penned by Airtech and Ascent Aerospace, an expert in aerospace tooling production proves this further. The companies, which have worked closely for years, entered into an exclusive supply agreement that sees Airtech supporting Ascent’s AM tooling business in both its commercial and defense aerospace segments, while Ascent will exclusively use Airtech’s resins for LFAM applications.

Overall, Ascent Aerospace is indicative of broader trends in aerospace, and its interest in AM is representative of the industry’s interest in exploiting faster development cycles, lower costs and more sustainable production methods—all benefits offered by Airtech’s material solutions.

The recent acquisition of Kimya, which includes a full filament portfolio, IP, equipment and production assets, also establishes Airtech as a serious player in the filament space.

Over 80% of Kimya’s materials are already qualified by major machine OEMs, further enhancing Airtech’s capabilities and market presence.

Kimya “Remake” is a range of eco-designed 3D printing filaments that incorporates recycled materials. The filaments are made with a high percentage of recycled materials, aiming to reduce environmental impact. The range includes materials like PLA-R, ABS-R, HIPS-R, PETG-R, and TPU-R, with varying percentages of recycled content, some up to 100% post-consumer recycled material. These materials produce excellent quality prints, but with significantly reduced environmental impact.

By offering sustainable 3D printing materials backed by real recovery pathways, Airtech is helping aerospace manufacturers align with evolving sustainability priorities, from smarter material choices to reduced environmental impact.

This article was originally published in VoxelMatters’ VM Focus Aerospace AM eBook. Read or download the full eBook for free at this link.