On November 14, visitors to the trade fair can attend a flight demonstration of the suit by Dr. Angelo Grubisic, Head of Flight Training at Gravity Industries, at 12:30 p.m. in the "Agora" outdoor area in front of Hall 3.

The company was founded in 2017 with the aim of realizing mankind's dream of flying. The flight suit, whose technology is patent-pending, is designed to give people a unique flying experience and thus revolutionize passenger transport. The suit consists of additively manufactured parts, special electronics and five engines. All components are developed on an interdisciplinary basis using agile processes. This makes the suit an expression of constant innovation. The propulsion system has an output of 1,000 hp and enables flight speeds of over 70 km per hour.

"Richard and his team push the boundaries of what is possible. As pioneers in industrial 3D printing, we share this innovative spirit. Gravity needed high-quality components with high stability and low weight for the flight suit. Continuous product iterations and optimizations should also be possible. This is exactly where additive manufacturing comes into play. The process has unique advantages because it can inspire companies to think differently about design and manufacturing. In this decade, real innovation is only possible by testing and challenging limits," says Güngör Kara, Chief Digital Officer at EOS.

The two companies are working together to continuously optimize the flight suit based on improvements to the component design and then use additive manufacturing for the subsequent production of parts. For example, the cable guides and the housings for the electronics and battery were additively manufactured using EOS polymer technology. EOS metal technology was used for the arm brackets and the thrust control. In the course of the joint project, the team was able to achieve significant cost savings and a ten percent reduction in weight by switching from titanium to aluminum for the arm mountings. As design adaptations can be implemented very quickly, design iterations can be carried out in rapid succession. In the course of adapting the design to the requirements of additive manufacturing, the number of components was reduced from eight to three. At the same time, the number of connecting pieces and therefore the risk of failure could be reduced. The bionic design also enables a lightweight connection structure. All of this results in simplified assembly.

Richard Browning, founder of Gravity Industries and lead test pilot, says: "When I started thinking about building a flight suit, I was inspired by my time in the Royal Marines. Here we were used to pushing ourselves to the limit every day. For me, innovation is about courage and thinking the unthinkable. We are already pushing the boundaries of what is currently possible and shaping the future with innovative ideas. Additive manufacturing supports us on this exciting journey."

Formnext, Stand 50, Hall 3.1