A five‑meter aircraft fuselage, manufactured completely without molds, rivets, or conventional tooling, is destined to be one of the largest laser powder bed fusion structures to have ever flown under power. Saab and Divergent Technologies have delivered this skeletal yet highly optimized airframe for integration into Saab’s conceptual autonomous aircraft, marking a decisive step toward software‑defined aerospace manufacturing.
1. Digital Manufacturing Without Tooling Constraints
The fuselage was fabricated using Divergent’s Divergent Adaptive Production System-DAPS-a start‑to‑finish platform integrating AI‑driven generative design, industrial‑pace additive manufacturing, and fixtureless robotic assembly. Cooper Keller, Divergent’s chief programs and operations officer, called it “a truly digital and fundamentally adaptable production system” in which engineers can quickly go from requirements to manufacturable structures that can meet stiffness, durability, and performance targets. Without any unique tooling, DAPS geometry can be completely defined by code, which unlocks designs from the straight lines and perfect circles ordained by traditional processes.
2. Scale and Complexity in Additive Aerospace Structures
The 15‑foot (5‑meter) fuselage is made up of 26 different laser powder bed fusion parts, each topology‑optimized for load paths and mass efficiency. Assembled in Divergent’s fixtureless robotic assembly cell, the structure realizes more than 99% part count reduction compared with conventional fuselages, and a weight reduction of around 45% is achieved. Saab’s head of The Rainforest, Axel Bååthe, commented that this approach “dramatically lowers the lead time from design and change to actually assembling it,” allowing faster iteration cycles on complex aerospace projects.
3. AI-Driven Generative Design of Physics-Optimized Structures
DAPS incorporates generative design algorithms that place material only where the physics require it. Bååthe said the resulting forms are “organic and sort of skeleton‑like,” as nature is very efficient in optimizing structures. Keller linked this with Divergent’s name, taken from Darwin’s divergent evolutionary biology here realized not over millions of years, but within minutes courtesy of supercomputing and AI evolution.
4. High‑Throughput Additive Manufacturing
Divergent has developed a large-format laser powder bed machine that prints 15 to 30 times faster than typical industry systems at over 80% utilization. This throughput supports production scalability to over 1,000 fuselage structures annually. This process also cuts material waste by more than 90% compared to traditional subtractive machining and plays into Saab’s sustainability goals.
5. Fixtureless Robotic Assembly at Aerospace Scale
DAPS software instead determines optimal part segmentation for manufacturability and assembly, rather than trying to print an entire fuselage in a single piece. Fully qualified joints for safety-critical aerospace environments at Technology Readiness Level 9 are used to join the components together in a fixtureless robotic cell. Rapid adaptation to design changes is possible with this approach: a change in geometry requires only the updating of a CAD file and the instigation of a new print run.
6. Software‑Defined Hardware: From CAD to Flight
Saab’s vision extends its “Code in the morning, fly in the afternoon” software philosophy from the Gripen E fighter into hardware manufacturing. Bååthe referred to the next step as “CAD in the morning, fly in the afternoon,” where design modifications flow directly into production without the delays of retooling. This capability supports Saab’s strategic need for short iteration loops and rapid capability deployment in a shifting defense landscape.
7. Integration into Development of Autonomous Aircraft
The fuselage is destined for Saab’s autonomous airborne platform, due to make its first flight in 2026, carrying a payload of around 200 kg. Reduced mass and part count in the structure promise better performance and easier integration. Augmented design and engineering played a major role in the development, according to Saab’s Marcus Wandt-a key element of the company’s AI strategy that allows hardware to adapt as flexibly as mission software.
8. Wider Adoption and Scaling Up
DAPS already is producing flight‑qualified hardware for piloted jets and automotive platforms and is being evaluated for maintenance, repair, and overhaul applications. Keller cited one instance in which Divergent received a drawing on a Saturday and delivered a fully validated replacement part by Tuesday with equivalent stiffness and fatigue life but 45% less mass. Divergent operates a facility in Torrance, California, is breaking ground on a second, and plans to scale to five U.S. factories within two years, with European deployment targeted for 2028. The collaboration of Saab with Divergent demonstrates how software-defined manufacturing, AI-driven design, and high-rate additive production come together to deliver aerospace structures at unprecedented speed, efficiency, and adaptability-unlocking new possibilities for next-generation autonomous flight systems.