Boeing (www.boeing.com) has invested in Morf3D. Based in El Segundo, California, the latter specialises in metal-based ‘additive engineering and manufacturing’ that allows lighter and stronger 3-D parts to be printed for aerospace applications.

Since it was established in late 2015, Morf3D has produced 3-D printed titanium and aluminium components for Boeing satellites and helicopters. Following this development, the company will collaborate with Boeing to further develop manufacturing processes and engineering capabilities.

Kim Smith, vice-president and general manager of fabrication for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (and Boeing Additive Manufacturing leader), said: “Developing standard additive manufacturing processes for aerospace components benefits both companies and empowers us to fully unleash the value of this transformative technology.

Morf3D’s metallurgy experts have developed a new set of additive-manufacturing design rules to advance the technology and accelerate 3-D printing capabilities for commercial use. The company uses ‘state of the art’ software and engineering expertise to significantly reduce mass, and to increase the performance and functionality of manufactured parts.”

Ivan Madera (pictured), CEO of Morf3D, said: “This investment will enable us to increase the number of our engineering staff and expand our technology footprint of EOS M400-4 DMLS systems to better serve the growing demands of our aerospace customers.”

Boeing says its investment in Morf3D is the latest example of its achievements with additive-manufacturing partners world-wide.

In March, Boeing and Norsk Titanium received the Aviation Week Laureate Award for Commercial Supplier Innovation for qualifying the first additively manufactured structural titanium parts on a commercial airplane; while in February, Boeing announced a five-year research agreement with Swiss-based supplier Oerlikon to develop standard materials and processes for titanium powder-bed additive manufacturing.