Eligio Re Fraschini and Caracol test WAAM for aerospace tooling

Based in the Italian town of Legnano, Eligio Re Fraschini has specialized in the production of tooling and industrial parts since 1946. Among the industries that the company serves is aerospace, which—as we know—is bound by strict regulatory constraints that require parts to meet high standards for precision and strength. To meet these demands and improve aerospace tooling efficiency, Eligio Re Fraschini is investigating the use of Caracol’s metal AM to determine the technology’s ability to reduce turnaround times and costs while delivering on quality.

Through a jointly funded pilot project with Caracol, Eligio Re Fraschini leveraged the former’s Vipra AM robotic WAAM platform to create a spar tool component. Traditionally this type of tool, which integrates complex geometries and is used for carbon lamination, is made using machining or casting. While well established, these processes come with particular challenges like long lead times, high material use, design limitations, and extensive tooling requirements. The Legnano-based manufacturer has therefore been eager to determine the viability of metal AM for this type of application.

As Caracol said: “This project was structured to assess whether robotic metal additive manufacturing could offer a credible alternative, reducing time to market and overall production costs, while maintaining the quality standards required by aerospace applications.”

In the pilot test, the aerospace tool was 3D printed from 316L stainless steel as a near-net-shape part. With dimensions of 1000 x 550 x 85 mm and an overall weight of 110 kg, the part took just 30 hours to print (at a deposition rate of 3.7 kg/h) on Caracol’s Vipra XP system, a robotic WAAM system. From there, the printed tool was brought to specification using CNC machining.

After evaluating the AM-enabled production method and comparing it to conventional manufacturing, the partners found that this new approach delivered significant benefits. For one, by printing a near-net-shape tool and finishing it using subtractive CNC machining, Eligio Re Fraschini was able to minimize material waste and boost resource efficiency. It was also able to reduce production times substantially thanks to AM’s capacity to streamline tooling production and the Vipra AM’s high deposition rates.

Caracol and its partner also cite another key benefit of using AM: the 3D printed tool was optimized to be 50% lighter compared to the original aerospace component. This, we can assume, is due to the integration of complex internal geometries not possible to achieve using conventional production approaches. As Caracol concludes: “The project establishes a clear technical and economic foundation for future deployments, demonstrating that the same manufacturing approach can be integrated into active production programs at scale.”

Launched in 2024, Caracol’s Vipra AM platform has been used for various applications that benefit from the technology’s large-scale, high-deposition production capabilities. Among these applications are other tooling use cases, like a massive composite lamination tool (2200 × 2200 × 600 mm) made by French machine shop Formes et Volumes. The metal AM process has also been used for the direct production of parts, including stainless-steel sampling valves for JOME Engineering (which brought production times down from 60 days to less than 48 hours), and a 110 kg suspension and differential carrier for the Mastiff armoured patrol vehicle made in partnership with NP Aerospace.