Wraith Systems Boosts Production 7.5x with 3D Systems

Wraith Systems is a Texas-based, veteran-owned small business specializing in the design, manufacturing, and integration of hardware components for cost-effective, flight-representative desktop pilot training systems.

Working from an initial inspiration, and very small beginnings, in 2006, Wraith has reinvented how military and civilian pilots can train in the classroom through the development of realistic Desktop HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle-And-Stick) systems. These are designed to sit directly on a desk, connected to a laptop, providing realistic, immersive control for flight and space simulations without requiring a full cockpit setup.

“When I did my initial pilot training in the US Marines, we were told to read certain chapters of a book and then be prepared to demonstrate that knowledge in the classroom or a simulator,” stated Jason McAlister, Founder and CEO, Wraith Systems. “This approach lacked any opportunity to refine the motor skills, the button-pushing and switch-ology required to fly a plane. The inevitable knowledge seep of what’s been read and then getting tested a couple of weeks later usually resulted in having a clipboard thrown at me by the instructor in the simulator.”

Having flown AV-8B Harriers for his military career, McAlister retired and started work in pilot training systems at Lockheed Martin in 2002.  During his tenure at Lockheed, while simultaneously flying with the Navy Reserves, McAlister worked to develop a PTA, or Pilot Training Aid, for F-35 pilot training on a desktop in the classroom. However, he pointed out that the system was utilizing Thrustmaster’s F-16 stick and throttle.

“That wasn’t just bad training, it was negative training,” He states. “We needed to get the appropriate stick and throttle with the switches and buttons if we want real pilot training to happen,”

Working with a close friend who is a mechanical engineer, McAlister started developing designs for a more closely matched F-35 stick and throttle mechanism, using polyurethane in poured molds to produce them. Having tested and proved the pieces in training scenarios, he founded Wraith Systems in 2006, with all production being done manually in California.

“For years we were producing maybe 75-100 systems per year which equaled demand at the time,” says McAlister. “All were produced manually, with multiple parts and each needed about 20 hours of post-processing labor to complete.”

In 2023, however, demand for the HOTAS had started to rise, and the team at Wraith realized they would lose business if they couldn’t rise to the new demand signals.

“When it looked like we would start to need 75-100 systems per month, it became evident that our manual processes were too slow and we risked losing the entire contract,” says McAlister. “We could no longer take polyurethane and pour them into molds and let them dry and pop them apart. The post processing required to actually get a good stick and throttle was dozens of man hours. It was very painful: sanding and filing and painting and bonding and more sanding. We had to find a better way.”

The team looked at injection molding, but realized their volume wasn’t even close enough to make that a viable solution and design would also become an issue.

“The designs are very organic, and I was told that the cost of getting that master mold would be hundreds of thousands of dollars,” says McAlister. “That was way more than we could justify even with the increased demand.”

Making the Switch to 3D Printing

Although machining was a possible, more affordable option, the team at Wraith started looking at 3D printing, and 3D Systems’ Figure 4 3D printer caught McAlister’s eye.

“We took a look at 3D printing as an alternative route and, by 2024, 3D Systems’ Figure 4 3D printer was being matched to some really compelling materials,” he says. “The Figure 4 PRO-BLK 10 material proved perfect for us in a production setting, with a sharp, crisp finish that we wanted, and we never looked back.”

Working with 3D Systems’ Application Innovation Group (AIG), McAlister had some 3D HOTAS designs 3D printed as samples and it was another lightbulb moment for McAlister.

“There are no 90 degree angles on any of these parts because they are designed to fit a human hand,” he says. “This makes 3D printing ideal for this and the post-processing time is minimal  - resulting in a reduction of about 92%. The parts come out looking exactly right, we clean them, dry them and cure them and they’re ready for assembly.”

Wraith purchased 3 Figure 4 printers initially, and started working on creating 3D design data. But the switch to digital wasn’t without challenges, namely, McAlister had to learn 3D CAD software, SOLIDWORKS, to create the 3D data he needed.

“I kind of got thrown into the deep end, and taught myself 3D CAD basically through YouTube,” he says. “At first there was a lot of yelling and parts being thrown in the trash, but it turned out to be really cool to not just design but be able to refine those designs on the fly.”

The team purchased 3 more Figure 4s in 2024 and also started incorporating parts into the design data to reduce reliance on external suppliers.

“Material sourcing delays, especially for aluminum, were negatively impacting production schedules and delivery forecasting,” says McAlister, “Bringing manufacturing in house gave us greater control over timelines and output, and reduced component cost.”

The team also used their new tools to improve the internal designs, and by so doing reduced the total parts in the assembly by 5 and experienced a direct cost reduction of $13.35 per set simply by replacing the aluminum components.

With six Figure 4 3D printers, the team started regularly producing 65-75 sets per month, compared to 6-10 per month manually, an increase in productivity of 7.5X, and resulting in a total production cost savings of $483,735 on the last project of 813 units.

Expanding 3D Printing Capacity

In 2025 Wraith purchased the new PSLA 270. With a build size of 9.5 x 10.4 x 11.8 inches (compared to the 4.9 x 2.8 x 7.7 inches provided by the Figure 4), and using the same high quality materials developed for the Figure 4, the production capacity and build quality for the team increased rapidly.

“With Figure 4 production we had to cut the stick and throttle CAD design in half because of the limited build size,” says McAlister. “In terms of assembling the electronics the two halves were quite workable, but screwing them together left a seam and the real ones (in fighters) are a single piece with no seams.”

Introducing the PSLA 270 allowed the stick and throttle to be printed as single pieces which more closely followed the real versions and improved the realism for training.

“I had to make some pretty radical design changes on the stick to figure out how to access all the electronics, wiring and switches in assembly,” says McAlister. “The throttle is far easier to assemble as a single piece and we figured it all out. Even better, we got to add textures digitally, and the pieces are now absolutely beautiful to touch and feel. I’m thrilled with this.”

With the six Figure 4 3D printers, the team at Wraith would do lights out printing and be able to produce 6 sticks per night, at a rate of about 5 hours printing per stick. The PSLA 270 is changing that equation.

“I can now produce those 6 sticks on the PSLA in a single build that takes 10 hours,” says McAlister. “That reduces print production time by over 60% for the sticks alone and allows me to produce other parts on the Figure 4s simultaneously.”

Materials Matter

McAlister quickly settled on using the Figure 4 PRO-BLK 10 material, although did perform some test runs with alternative materials with the assistance of 3D Systems Application Innovation Group engineers. This high-resolution resin allows fast print speeds of up to 62 mm/hr at 50 micron layer thicknesses, with a 70 °C heat deflection temperature, and 12% elongation at break.

In practice, the team at Wraith have found PRO-BLK 10 to be ideal for their needs.

“I have probably had a total of 15 sticks that have broken since we started 3D printing,” says McAlister. “But it has not been the Figure 4 materials but rather the spring or the welds that break."

In addition, the material allows tapping and drilling directly into the material where required but also delivers further benefits:

“With the PRO-BLK 10 you can actually 3D print threads right into the material,” says McAlister. “I mean, these can be down to hundredths of a millimeter and they come out crisp and functional. It’s kind of amazing.”

Looking Forward to the Future

Having resolved the production issues it faced in 2023, and with increased capacity beyond their wildest dreams, the team at Wraith are looking at other applications for its stick and throttle designs. Having just completed its AS 9100 certification a few weeks prior, the team is now pursuing opportunities within the UAV and drone markets, as well as easily providing low-volume orders for fighter planes other than the F-35.

Says McAlister, “Really, with Figure 4 and the PSLA 270, we are now in a really strong position to expand production not just with our current production line but with spin-off products as the industry demands.”