Aluminum 3D Printed Chassis – Demo & Fit Test Faster

Show Customers Your Mechanical Designs in Weeks, Not Months.

This white paper explores how aluminum 3D printed chassis can help defense programs shorten development schedules, perform physical fit checks earlier, and make design changes without the long lead times associated with traditional fabricated enclosures.

Atrenne’s metal additive manufacturing process creates real, deployable aluminum-alloy chassis rather than simple mock-ups. After completion of the CAD design, a custom chassis can be produced in approximately six weeks, compared with roughly 26 weeks for a chassis manufactured from milled sections joined through dip brazing. The process also allows complex shapes and contours that are difficult or impossible to produce with conventional CNC machining.

The faster development cycle lets program teams put a physical enclosure in front of a customer early, verify dimensions and cabling, perform system fit checks, and quickly incorporate required changes. The same aluminum-alloy chassis can then be used for system testing after electronics, backplanes, and power supplies are integrated.

The paper also examines monolithic construction, lattice structures for improved strength-to-weight ratio and heat transfer, and an Atrenne ½ ATR chassis that successfully completed RTCA DO-160G and MIL-STD-810F shock, vibration, acceleration, and transportation testing.