Research and Markets: 3D Printing in Aerospace – Revolution or Evolution? New 2015 Featuring Avio Aero, General Electric Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Turbomeca & Boeing

DUBLIN

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mvcpmx/3d_printing_in) has announced the addition of the “3D Printing in Aerospace- Revolution or Evolution?” report to their offering.

After highlighting additive manufacturing (AM) as one of the most important technological trends in aerospace and defence. The first conclusion arrived at based on the summit is additive manufacturing is drawing a lot of attention. In this market insight, the current achievements of additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry have been highlighted, along with the main motivations to implement AM, main challenges, and the importance of understanding AM as an end-to-end process. Industry stakeholders have identified this as an essential step towards reaching a high level of reliability, hence wider adoption of AM.

Adoption of AM is currently still quite low in the aerospace industry. Only a few polymer parts are used in service aircraft. The rate of development of AM varies depending on the material. As AM was first developed for polymers (plastics), the experience acquired on this material is higher than the experience gained on metals. However, due to the original structure of the aircraft, additive manufacturing for metal could maximize gains, such as weight reduction. As a result, aerospace and defence participants are making significant efforts in this direction.

The first firm to produce AM parts for in-service aircraft and use them in commercial flights was Boeing. About years ago it developed an environmental control system duct for the F/A-18, which was later introduced on the Boeing 787. So far, Boeing has produced about ducts which are in service. The environmental control system ECS duct is a polymer component developed and produced with Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) machines.

The engine manufacturers, General Electric Aviation (GE Aviation) and its subsidiary Avio Aero, Pratt & Whitney (UTC Group), and Turbomeca (Safran Group) have developed metallic parts for their next generation engines with AM. These engines are soon to be in service.

Companies Mentioned

– Avio Aero

– General Electric Aviation

– Pratt & Whitney

– Turbomeca

– Boeing

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mvcpmx/3d_printing_in

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