Bae Systems, Inc.

Jack Richard Sharples

Jonathan Michael Carberry

John Chippendale

Alistair James Fletcher

Gawain Horrocks

Jamie Adam Smith

A system comprising: a substrate; a fixture for receiving the substrate; and four fasteners. The substrate has two axes, and a build surface. The substrate comprises four slots through the substrate from the build surface to an opposite surface. Lengths of first and second slots are aligned along a first axis. The first and second slots are at opposite sides of the build surface to each other. Lengths of the third and fourth slots are aligned along the second axis. The third and fourth slots are at opposite sides of the build surface to each other. The fasteners fit through respective slots. The lengths of the slots are greater than diameters of portions of the fasteners that are positioned through the slots.

Fixture system for use in additive manufacturing

A method of producing a shim for use in an aircraft, the method comprising: providing an aircraft airframe; measuring a surface of the airframe; creating a digital model of the airframe using those measurements; providing an aircraft skin; measuring a surface of the aircraft skin; creating a digital model of the aircraft skin using those measurements; digitally assembling the digital model of the airframe with the digital model of the aircraft skin; using the digitally assembled models, creating a digital model of a shim, the digital model of the shim substantially filling a gap between the digitally assembled digital models of the airframe and the skin; and producing a physical shim using the digital model of the shim.

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Preston, United Kingdom

Jack Richard Sharples