Farsoon
Airbus Farsoon Signing Ceremony
Dr. Xu Xiaoshu, Founder and Chairman of Farsoon (front, left) and Michel TRAN VAN, GeneralManager of Airbus Beijing (front, right) are joined by colleagues as R&D agreement is signed.
Farsoon has announced a research and development agreement with Airbus Beijing Engineering Centre (ABEC) which will focus on the development of an additive manufacturing (AM) polymer for use in civil aviation.
The launch of this R&D programme represents Airbus’ first with a Chinese company, relative to polymer AM technology and its application. It has come about through Farsoon’s ‘Open for Industry’ drive, which gives a platform for collaborations of this type to explore innovation and expand industrial applications of its AM technology.
Farsoon is a provider of both polymer and metal systems to the AM market, but in 2017 introduced the first of its Continuous Additive Manufacturing System (CAMS) polymer series, which is designed to offer scalable, continuous production – the HT1001P is currently being used via a beta programme and boasts a maximum build capacity of 1000 x 500 x 450 mm.
Through the collaboration, Farsoon and ABEC will share their knowledge to research and develop a high performance polymer material to be processed on Farsoon’s open platform systems. Farsoon will fine tune and optimise processing parameters for the new material, while Airbus will validate the properties and performance against the civil aviation requirements.
“We are very excited to start this R&D collaboration with Airbus,” commented Dr. Xu Xiaoshu, CEO, Farsoon. “As a leading industrial AM solution provider, Farsoon has been pushing towards the transition of AM applications from prototyping to manufacturing. We believe AM technology will be increasingly used in aerospace and aviation manufacturing. In the future, by joining hands with Airbus, Farsoon will be able to contribute to the full workflow for AM production in civil aviation.”
“It’s the first time for Airbus to cooperate with a Chinese company in the polymer industry. Airbus is looking for more than the performance of new material. We need to keep in mind what industrialising AM needs, including workflow development, cost management, industrial manufacturing capabilities and speed,” added Michel Tran Van, General Manager, ABEC. “With the same goal of industrialisation, I look forward to the R&D results of this collaboration, and I believe we will carry out more cooperation in the future.”
