FRCE首次3D打印出飞行认证金属部件并安装于现役飞机

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, has achieved a major milestone in military aviation. The depot has delivered its first flight-certified, non-flight-critical metal parts produced entirely in-house via additive manufacturing. This breakthrough directly improves aircraft downtime and fleet readiness, marking a new era for on-demand military logistics.

作为北卡罗来纳州最大的维护、修理、大修和技术服务提供商，舰队准备中心东区（FRCE）在军用航空领域取得了重大里程碑。该基地交付了首批完全通过内部增材制造生产的、获得飞行认证的非飞行关键金属部件。这一突破直接改善了飞机的停飞时间和舰队战备状态，标志着按需军事物流新时代的到来。

Three platforms have already benefited from this innovation: the weapons pylon fitting for the AH-1Z Viper, the repair fitting for the main landing gear on the V-22 Osprey, and a blanking plate for the C-130 Hercules. Each component underwent the same rigorous safety and quality validation as any conventionally manufactured part. The effort was carried out in partnership with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Additive Manufacturing Team and Fleet Support Teams, with FRCE’s Advanced Technology and Innovation Team leading the technical development and certification work.

已有三种平台受益于这一创新：AH-1Z“蝰蛇”的武器挂架配件、V-22“鱼鹰”主起落架的修理配件，以及C-130“大力神”的盲板。每个部件都经过了与传统制造部件同样严格的安全和质量验证。这项工作是与海军航空系统司令部（NAVAIR）增材制造团队和舰队支援团队合作完成的，FRCE的先进技术与创新团队主导了技术开发和认证工作。

Key Insight: Bringing metal 3D printing in-house is transforming how military depots support aging aircraft fleets. For your own projects, explore premium STL files to start printing high-quality parts today.

关键见解：将金属3D打印引入内部正在改变军用基地支持老旧机队的方式。对于您自己的项目，探索优质STL文件，立即开始打印高质量部件。

Bringing parts production in-house has fundamentally altered how the depot approaches fleet support. The full qualification, production, and certification cycle—a process notoriously complex in military aviation—was completed in under six months, setting a new speed record within Naval Air Systems Command.

将部件生产引入内部从根本上改变了基地对舰队支持的方式。完整的鉴定、生产和认证周期——这一过程在军用航空领域以复杂著称——在不到六个月的时间内完成，创下了海军航空系统司令部的新速度纪录。

The first component to earn flight certification at the depot was a pylon fitting, a modest-sized bracket that connects weapons systems to the AH-1Z Viper’s airframe. It reached the H-1 Fleet Support Team in early 2025. Two more parts followed before the year was out: a repair fitting for the V-22 Osprey’s main landing gear, handed off to its respective Fleet Support Team, and a blanking plate destined for the C-130 Hercules.

首个在基地获得飞行认证的部件是一个挂架配件，这是一个中等尺寸的支架，用于将武器系统连接到AH-1Z“蝰蛇”的机身。它于2025年初交付给H-1舰队支援团队。同年年底前，另外两个部件也相继完成：一个用于V-22“鱼鹰”主起落架的修理配件，已移交给相应的舰队支援团队；以及一个用于C-130“大力神”的盲板。

The equipment hasn’t been limited to airworthy parts alone. The same machines have been put to work producing custom tooling and auxiliary components for the depot’s own repair crews, tightening up maintenance workflows from the ground up.

这些设备并不仅限于生产适航部件。同一批机器还被用于为基地自己的修理团队生产定制工具和辅助部件，从基础上优化维护工作流程。

“We were challenged to complete the qualification, production and certification processes for these parts in six months, and we not only met but exceeded that standard,” the team lead said. “This is the fastest this sort of thing has ever been done within Naval Air Systems Command, and it shows that we are competitive with industry standards. This entire process has been a team effort between FRC East, our headquarters, the site in Lakehurst, and the Fleet Support Teams, working together to ensure these parts are ready and reliable for our troops.”

“我们被要求在六个月内完成这些部件的鉴定、生产和认证流程，我们不仅达到了标准，还超越了它，”团队负责人表示。“这是海军航空系统司令部内完成此类任务最快的一次，表明我们与行业标准具有竞争力。整个过程是FRC东区、我们的总部、莱克赫斯特基地以及舰队支援团队共同努力的结果，确保这些部件为我们的部队准备好并可靠可用。”

Looking ahead, FRCE is preparing to extend its metal additive manufacturing operation to include stainless steel. The material’s greater strength and durability relative to aluminum will broaden the range of flight-critical components the depot can produce in-house, moving the program closer to full-spectrum on-demand parts support for the fleet.

展望未来，FRCE正准备将其金属增材制造业务扩展到不锈钢。与铝相比，这种材料具有更高的强度和耐久性，将扩大基地内部能够生产的飞行关键部件范围，使该计划更接近为舰队提供全频谱按需部件支持的目标。

FRCE’s on-demand parts program is a direct response to a vulnerability that conventional military logistics has long struggled to address: the gap between what the fleet needs and what procurement pipelines can reliably deliver. By bringing certified metal additive manufacturing in-house, the depot is reframing parts availability as a production problem rather than a sourcing one.

FRCE的按需部件计划是对传统军事物流长期难以解决的一个弱点的直接回应：舰队需求与采购管道可靠交付能力之间的差距。通过将获得认证的金属增材制造引入内部，基地正在将部件可用性重新定义为生产问题而非采购问题。

That shift is playing out across U.S. defense at scale. The University of Oklahoma and Oak Ridge National Laboratory secured $8.8 million to advance a joint program with the Air Force Sustainment Center built around the same premise: warplanes in service for six decades or more increasingly depend on components conventional supply chains can no longer source efficiently.

这一转变正在发挥

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