Wired Success

Liberty Electronic's Industry Outlook series analyzes the market for trends suppliers at all levels of the supply chain should watch. In this installment, we break down Aerospace and Defense trends. 

Read about how Liberty Electronics has implemented lean manufacturing process to save its customers lead time and cost while delivering high-quality product.

This November, Liberty Electronics will celebrate five years since producing its first in-house 3D printed part in 2013. The company added two additional 3D printers to its roster in 2016, another this month, and is looking ahead at the possibility of adding metal-capable machines in the future. The implementation of additive manufacturing has proven to be incredibly successful for the company and has continued to set Liberty apart as a versatile innovator in the industry.

Recently, the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in the nation’s capital was forced to decommission nearly 75% of its new 7000-series rail cars due to crimping defects. The rail cars had crimping defects that went undetected until WMATA’s quality inspectors discovered them. The WMATA’s Quality Assurance, Internal Compliance and Oversight office (QICO), estimates that the rail cars will take over a year to be repaired. Going forward, QICO is requiring that in-process quality checks and high standards of engineering design be more explicitly outlined in WMATA’s manufacturing contracts.(1)