Quickparts + Gogo Business Aviation
Gogo, a leading provider of broadband connectivity services for the business aviation market, recently partnered with Quickparts to produce show-ready prototype parts.
The company offers a customisable suite of smart cabin systems for integrated connectivity, inflight entertainment, and voice solutions. The products and services feature on business jets of various sizes, from turboprops to large global jets.
This partnership came about after Gogo had a major upcoming announcement at a trade show, where everything was ready and set for the day, apart from the prototype antenna. Gogo says that it had used 3D printing for prototypes in the past, but that none looked how the final piece would.
Gogo believes that the antenna has a low profile compared to others on the market. It is smaller and more lightweight than the average satellite antenna for inflight Wi-Fi connectivity, ideal for business-class jets. Despite the small size, Gogo still had issues finding a 3D printer that fit its project and deadline, which was only a week away.
“Every other 3D printing company told me it was too big and would have to be printed in multiple pieces, would have a layer thickness that wouldn’t be smooth enough to work as a concept model showpiece, or the lead time to get printed would cause us to miss the trade show,” said Brandon Fichera, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Gogo Business Aviation.
Quickparts was the only supplier that met the requirements of what Gogo needed out of the five that were contacted.
Quickparts + Gogo Business Aviation
Quickparts recommended using stereolithography (SLA) for the prototype to help speed up production and ensure Gogo received the finished part in time. SLA is often used to produce show-ready parts that look just like the final production piece.
“Even for a prototype, it needs to look as close as possible to the real thing,” said Derek Bernard, Manager, Event Marketing for Gogo Business Aviation. “This part from Quickparts looks as close as it could get.”
Dave Mellin, PR and Communications Director for Gogo Business Aviation, added: “This piece was critical to our show experience. It was literally the centrepiece of the show booth.” He also went on to note the quality improvement compared to parts they had used in the past.
Quickparts is used by companies in a variety of different sectors. Architectural modelling company LGM uses it to produce mass models with SLA.
