At Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Fastech is showcasing something the aerospace industry has been waiting for: additive manufacturing that has moved past the research lab and into genuine industrial production. Directed Energy Deposition (DED) and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) are reshaping the way large, high value components get made, and Fastech’s approach shows exactly how far that shift has come.
Fastech LLC HQ, Danville Virginia
From R&D Curiosity to Industrial Solution
The biggest shift in the market is that DED and WAAM are no longer viewed as purely experimental. Aerospace OEMs are now focused on material qualification, repeatability, process validation, reduced lead times, sustainability and material efficiency. Cost still matters, but customers are increasingly asking about supply chain resilience, waste reduction, and the ability to repair or extend the life of high value components rather than replace them outright.
Industry bodies such as MTC and ASTM are playing a central role too, helping define the standards around machine qualification, materials and process control that will accelerate wider adoption. The real challenge for the industry is identifying where Laser Wire DED and WAAM offer a clear advantage over traditional manufacturing methods, rather than trying to force the technology everywhere.
Two Gefertec Arc605 WAAM systems alongside a Laser Wire DED Cell powered by Meltio, part of Fastech’s design to qualification additive manufacturing capability.
What Aerospace Customers Actually Want
Today’s aerospace customers are not looking for experimental technology. They want validated material performance, repeatable process control, clear certification pathways, shorter lead times, lower material waste and more flexible supply chains. There is also growing interest in lifecycle extension and repair, particularly for titanium and nickel alloy components where traditional subtractive machining can be both expensive and wasteful.
DED and WAAM are particularly well suited to large format titanium and Inconel structures: structural aerospace components, repair applications, near net shape preforms, tooling and fixtures, and high value replacement parts. The ‘buy to fly’ ratio is a major factor in this equation. Traditional machining can remove 70 to 90% of the starting billet as waste, whereas additive manufacturing deposits material only where it is needed, significantly improving utilisation and reducing overall production cost.
Propulsion Adapter – Ti64 printed on Meltio M600
Under One Roof: Design Through to Qualification
What sets Fastech apart is the ability to take a component from initial design all the way through to qualification, under one single roof. The company has spent several years building deep expertise in both WAAM and Laser Wire technologies, giving it a genuine understanding of the real world challenges and opportunities these processes present, not just the theory.
This end to end approach integrates three pillars of advanced manufacturing: metal additive manufacturing, subtractive machining and inspection. By combining these with robotic platforms and CNC machining, Fastech delivers a hybrid manufacturing capability that is scalable and flexible enough to cover both repair and production applications across the full component lifecycle.
Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) sits at the heart of this process. Fastech’s experience has allowed the company to optimise toolpaths, support strategies and hybrid workflows so that post machining requirements are significantly reduced. The goal is never simply to print a part, but to create a near net shape component that minimises subtractive operations while still hitting the required tolerances and surface finish.
Fastech’s Meltio Robot Cell with M600 blue laser technology, printing titanium, Inconel and stainless steel components with material waste reduced to around 28%, compared to nearly 80% waste in conventional machining, delivering cost savings of approximately 51%
The Numbers Behind the Savings
A recent stainless steel component study offers a concrete example of what this means commercially. Conventional machining began with a 187lb billet and removed approximately 147lbs of material as waste, almost 80% material loss. Using additive manufacturing, the same part was produced from a near net shape printed blank weighing only 60lbs, reducing waste to around 28%. The results were significantly lower machining time, reduced tooling wear, lower energy consumption, reduced lead times, and an overall cost saving of approximately 51% compared to conventional manufacturing.
The Technology Behind the Capability
astech’s WAAM and Laser Wire DED capability is built on some of the most capable systems on the market. The company recently installed an AML3D WAAM robotic cell in the US, capable of producing components up to approximately 1.3m x 1.3m x 1.4m, with component weights exceeding 2,700kg and deposition rates above 2.5kg/hr.
Alongside this, Fastech operates Laser Wire DED robotic systems engineered and powered by Meltio, with build volumes around 1m x 1m x 0.75m and deposition rates exceeding 0.5kg/hr. These systems are scalable and continue to evolve rapidly in both size and productivity, giving Fastech the flexibility to match the right process to the right component.
Fastech’s AML3D Arcemy X WAAM system, capable of producing components up to approximately 1.3m x 1.3m x 1.4m, with component weights exceeding 2kg and deposition rates above 2.5kg/hr, suited to large format titanium and Inconel structures, near net shape preforms, tooling and fixtures, and high value replacement parts.
Fastech works with leading additive manufacturing technology partners including Meltio, Gefertec and AML3D, helping industrialise wire based additive manufacturing for defence, aerospace and energy, three of the sectors driving demand hardest right now.
Built on Eight Years of Real World Experience
Headquartered in Danville, Virginia, Fastech is continuing its global expansion strategy, with planned facilities in both the UK and Australia driven largely by growing demand within naval, defence and AUKUS related programmes. The UK operation, planned for the North West of England, will initially focus on Laser DED robotic systems and Meltio based wire laser technology, followed by larger scale WAAM capability as the business scales. These technologies are already industrialised within Fastech’s US operation under AS9100 accredited processes, meaning projects can be validated and delivered end to end in the US before capability transfers into the UK.
Over the last eight years, Fastech has moved beyond pure research and development into real industrialisation, delivering end to end additive and hybrid manufacturing solutions for production applications. That experience, combined with DfAM expertise, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, inspection and repair capability, allows the company to evaluate whether a component is commercially viable for Laser Wire DED or WAAM before production even begins.
Fastech’s customer relationships reflect that credibility. The company counts Siemens Energy, a pioneer in metal additive manufacturing, among its customers, manufacturing real, end use components from printing through to machining and inspection, all under one roof. It is this production level track record, not just the technology itself, that Fastech is bringing to Farnborough this year.
For more information, visit fastech-engineering.com.
