Accelerating Additive Manufacturing (AM): FRCSW Qualification of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) for F/A-18 Avionics Cooling Ducts

Additive Manufacturing

The Department of War (DoW) currently faces major sustainment hurdles due to part obsolescence and long logistics lead times for mission-critical aircraft components. Traditional supply chains struggle to provide low-volume, specialized parts on demand, forcing long-term aircraft grounding. Specifically, polymer-based components, such as F/A-18 avionics cooling ducts, have a history of failing in service—including several recent occurrences—and remain difficult to source. NAVAIR Fleet Readiness Center – Southwest (FRCSW) addressed this challenge by establishing Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) capability using the state-of-the-art 3D Systems SLS 380 printer. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers a transformative solution, and the FRCSW team successfully met and overcame major technical and qualification challenges during transition from prototyping to delivery of these flight ready components.

Jump-started by the F/A-18 ‘Global Lightning’ program and a ‘no bid’ for a critical cooling component, the team obtained this advanced manufacturing platform and successfully established the entire manufacturing process in under a year, printing operational aerospace polymer components normally taking several years to establish. Having successfully completed rigorous material qualification and established baseline properties to guarantee aerospace-grade quality, the system transitioned into Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP). We are now executing final, routine build-volume certifications to formalize the full production envelope.

The maturity and fleet-readiness of this capability was validated through a rapid-response repair initiative for an F/A-18 stationed at NAS Whidbey Island. Upon learning of a downed aircraft requiring an immediate replacement cooling duct, a cross-functional team of a dozen specialists—spanning the FRCSW Reverse Engineering Lab, Materials Engineering Lab, and Fleet Support Team (FST) Environmental Control Systems (ECS) experts—embarked on a rapid-cycle parameter qualification process in March 2026. The team successfully nailed the optimal print parameters on Batch 16 in June 2026, enabling the immediate printing of the F/A-18 repair duct. This intense collaboration, compressed testing, rigorous qualification, and final shipment to a mere two months, delivering the flight-ready duct back to the fleet in August 2026 getting the aircraft back into service 1-2 years faster. Most notably, this AM component met and passed all original requirements of the OEM process specification, confirming that SLS-produced parts can match the mechanical and structural integrity of OEM-sourced aerospace components.

This real-world repair occurred at a critical time, directly assisting the team in certifying the SLS printer and executing this process under tight constraints. The team is now leveraging this effort to qualify a comprehensive Local Process Specification (LPS) that will standardize the rapid prototyping and certified creation of polymer SLS parts. The team is also evaluating additional process improvements to further improve production efficiency and quality. Once deployed, this qualified process will allow DoW aviation depots to rapidly scale and produce on-demand, flight-certified SLS components, significantly reducing lead times, cutting sustainment costs, and providing the fleet with an agile, resilient logistical advantage.