On the eve of the Paris Air Show, Stratasys Ltd. (Hall 4, Stand C208), a 3D printing and additive manufacturing specialist, and Boom Supersonic announced a three-year technical partnership designed to help Boom accelerate production of advanced tooling and production-grade aircraft parts based on Stratasys FDM (fused deposition modelling) 3D printing technology.

By leveraging the design freedom, production speed, and heightened cost efficiencies of additive manufacturing, Boom plans for the first flight of the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator to take place next year.

The company is deploying Stratasys FDM-based Fortus 450mc and F370 3D Printers — both designed to produce on-demand parts using production-grade thermoplastics, as well as advanced manufacturing tools that perform under the most challenging environments.

Boom's supersonic airliner will be designed to fly at Mach 2.2, 2.6 times faster than any other aircraft on the market today, reducing typical New York to London flight times to just over three hours.

The agreement will allow Boom to leverage Stratasys 3D printing solutions, materials and expert services. The 3D printing solutions will advance speed, cost savings and performance across critical engineering and manufacturing processes at its headquarters in Denver, Colorado.