{"id":500428,"date":"2026-05-24T12:44:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T12:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/500428\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T12:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T12:44:15","slug":"np-aerospace-produces-mastiff-suspension-carrier-via-waam-cutting-lead-times-by-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/500428\/","title":{"rendered":"NP Aerospace Produces Mastiff Suspension Carrier via WAAM, Cutting Lead Times by 50%"},"content":{"rendered":"

NP Aerospace<\/a>, working with the Digital Manufacturing Centre<\/a> (DMC), has used Caracol<\/a>\u2018s Vipra AM<\/a> platform to produce the Mastiff suspension and differential carrier, a structurally critical, load-bearing component for protected and dual-use vehicles, through wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Printed as a single piece without tooling in 60 hours, the component marks a direct challenge to the casting and forging routes that have historically defined this class of manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Those conventional methods work, but on low-volume, fast-iteration defense programs, their constraints compound quickly. Long lead times tied to tooling qualification, high upfront costs difficult to justify at small quantities, and geometric rigidity that limits topology-driven design all slow down programs where speed and adaptability are operational requirements. WAAM eliminates all three at once.<\/p>\n

\"Caracol'sCaracol\u2019s Vipra AM platform produced the Mastiff\u2019s suspension and differential mount. Photo via Caracol.<\/p>\n

110 Kilograms, 60 Hours, No Tooling<\/strong><\/p>\n

The component was produced on Caracol\u2019s VIPRA XP system using ER100 wire feedstock, printing a 540 \u00d7 500 \u00d7 500 mm structure weighing 110 kg. Post-processing included heat treatment and machining to meet the part\u2019s functional and compliance requirements.<\/p>\n

What made the process notable was not just the scale, but the geometry. The Mastiff carrier features extreme overhangs and highly complex organic surfaces, forms that would be extremely challenging or impossible on conventional fixed-axis systems. Caracol\u2019s multi-axis robot-and-part positioning allowed the component to be built in a single process without redesigning the functional specification or compromising on performance targets.<\/p>\n

The outcome was a measurable lead time reduction of up to 50% against the conventionally manufactured equivalent, with tooling costs eliminated entirely, a combination that makes low-volume production and rapid design iteration economically viable for the first time on a component of this structural class.<\/p>\n

\"Caracol'sCaracol\u2019s Vipra AM platform produced the Mastiff\u2019s suspension and differential mount. Photo via Caracol.<\/p>\n

Defense Manufacturing\u2019s Agility Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n

Defense procurement is caught between two competing pressures: the need for faster spiral development cycles and the structural impossibility of tooling-dependent supply chains on low-volume platforms.\u00a0 Protected vehicle programs rarely operate at the volumes that justify conventional tooling investment, yet the performance and compliance bar on their components is as demanding as anywhere in industry. That gap is where WAAM is finding its footing.<\/p>\n

Nurol Makina<\/a> and MetalWorm<\/a> demonstrated this in a direct defense application, producing an armored vehicle component via WAAM<\/a> with steel wire feedstock, machining it to final geometry, and subjecting it to both destructive and non-destructive testing. The part was then installed on an armored vehicle for eight months of operational field trials, with post-test inspections recording no failures or damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DEEP Manufacturing<\/a> has taken a parallel path, earning DNV Approval of Manufacture for WAAM production<\/a> of pressure vessels and hull structures, and expanding into a Houston facility to bring large-format metal additive capability closer to customers across energy, defense, and maritime sectors.<\/p>\n

The NP Aerospace Mastiff carrier is the kind of result that makes the business case for WAAM in defense self-evident. When the bottleneck is the tooling cycle, removing it entirely changes the pace of the program.<\/p>\n

3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don\u2019t forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter<\/a> or follow us on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Explore the full Future of 3D Printing<\/a> and Executive Survey<\/a> series from 3D Printing Industry, featuring perspectives from CEOs, engineers, and industry leaders on the industrialization of additive manufacturing<\/a>, 3D printing industry trends 2026<\/a>, qualification, supply chains, and additive manufacturing industry analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Featured image shows Caracol\u2019s Vipra AM platform produced the Mastiff\u2019s suspension and differential mount. Photo via Caracol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NP Aerospace, working with the Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC), has used Caracol\u2018s Vipra AM platform to produce the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500429,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[74],"tags":[217607,217608,217609,144875,18,19,17,217610,217611,217612,82],"class_list":["post-500428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-caracol","tag-deep-manufacturing","tag-digital-manufacturing-centre","tag-dnv","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-metalworm","tag-np-aerospace","tag-nurol-makina","tag-technology"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}