3D Printing for Aerospace

High-fidelity trainers need to be as close to the actual aircraft as possible, so they’re often made using salvaged aircraft parts. There is currently a low useable inventory of salvaged parts. These are low-volume, one-off parts, which is a strength of additive manufacturing. Read more here.

Because additive manufacturing is continuously progressing in material adoption and end-use application, its benefits to almost every industry, including space exploration, are potentially endless. Here are two examples:

AM can assist with getting vehicles to space by providing weight reduction and improved performance to complex parts such as thrusters and engines.

Printing spare parts in space is another benefit, alleviating supply chain and inventory challenges.

Click here for more benefits and to see a part that was 3D printed on the International Space Station.

• An airline used 3D printed molds to cast covers for aircraft engines while the planes were docked during the height of the Covid pandemic and engine covers were difficult to source.
• Metal AM is used to provide fast turnaround, customization and complexity to aircraft repair parts, including integrally built rotors or “blisks.”