WAAM3D, a company founded by a research team from Cranfield University has won the Hub Breakthrough Award, which celebrates the UK-based start-up who has shown the most potential to impact the aerospace sector and who will support the journey to net zero 2050 for commercial flight. The award was presented by Harry Malins, Chief Innovation Officer of ATI and Holly Greig, Deputy Director – Aviation Decarbonisation, Department for Transport, at this year’s ATI conference in Birmingham.
Launched in July 2018, WAAM3D is commercialising the equivalent of over 300 years worth of academic research and development and leveraging the knowledge of 300 academic papers, 40 PhD projects and over 100 Master’s projects. One of the key innovations delivered by the founding team is the achievement of forged microstructures and mechanical properties in structures made by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). This is enabling WAAM as a viable option for the production of Class 1 structures. The company is now leading the way in large-scale metal additive manufacturing (AM) demonstrating feasibility of some of the largest critical structures ever produced. These include primary titanium fuselage components for fighter jets, landing gear ribs, wing spars and ribs. Within large-scale metal AM, WAAM3D is the only company to provide an end-to-end software solution, from computer aided manufacturing, to machine and process control, to post-build data analytics, which powers WAAM3D’s flagship large-scale metal printer, RoboWAAM.
To win the award, WAAM3D demonstrated its innovation, the market needs and potential for wire arc additive manufacturing and how the organisation is contributing to UK aerospace. WAAM3D also has aerospace customers in 10 countries, from USA to Japan.
Wire arc additive manufacturing can make design, manufacturing, and support operations leaner within a global context facilitating the reshoring of manufacturing to mitigate supply chain risks; the protection of profit margins; the design of products for sustainability; and the faster launch of products. Furthermore, there is a huge opportunity related to the use of the technology to produce spare parts and for repair and remanufacturing to extend the life of high-value assets.
Commenting on the win, Dr Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder of WAAM3D said: “We are delighted to win this award. Our relentless innovation is once again spotlighted, as is the strength of our unique team. Our collaborations with leading organisations within UK aerospace have yielded some outstanding results. Lead times have been reduced from years to weeks, material utilisation has increased from 2% up to 90%, Embodied Energy and equivalent CO2 emissions have been more than halved, and supply chain risks greatly reduced. In the modern multi-polar world, looking at AM is key to protect and improve your business. It’s a great honour to be recognised by the ATI for our research and development and the positive impact we are having on the aerospace sector, at home and abroad.”
WAAM3D also impressed judges with its success securing millions of pounds in grant funding and equity investment, creating 45 jobs in the UK and Singapore. WAAM3D is also committed to the local ecosystem, hiring apprentices, delivering tours to schools in partnership with Cranfield University, promoting STEM subjects, and inspiring the minds of potential young engineers.
