Strategic partnership seeks to merge expertise in technologies, industries and projects.
Large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) supplier, Caracol, has announced a strategic partnership with Ohio-based contract manufacturer, Additive Engineering Solutions (AES). The collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing in the aerospace and defense industries.
AES will install a Caracol Heron AM platform to expand the company’s capabilities, focusing on tooling for composites and full-scale engineering mockups.
In addition to and AS9100 Quality Management System certification, AES is compliant with NIST Cybersecurity standards, positioning the company to serve as a provider for aerospace and defense applications.
The Heron AM platform has already been used for the production of composite tooling and Caracol claims to be the first LFAM company to have an AS9100-certified production facility in Europe. The company also claims unique knowledge of leveraging robotics for large format 3D printing in both thermoplastic composites and metals – having developed turnkey platforms that integrate both hardware and software.
“We are very happy for this strategic partnership with AES. Their know-how and experience in developing cutting-edge applications for the Aerospace & Defense industry, perfectly matches Caracol’s DNA in developing application-driven integrated turnkey HW/SW technological platforms,” said Francesco De Stefano, CEO and cofounder of Caracol in a press release. “Together, we can really push the boundaries of Large Format AM in highly regulated industries for both polymers and metal applications.”
“We’re excited to partner with Caracol as A&D application development is at the core of what AES does on a daily basis.” said Austin Schmidt, president and cofounder of AES in the same release. “Aside from expanding our reach in this industry, Caracol’s offering of both turnkey polymer and metallic robotic platforms is of interest to AES as we continue to evolve in the LFAM market.”
