The present and future of additive manufacturing in the aerospace sector: a review of important aspects

This paper reviews recent improvements in additive manufacturing technologies, focusing on those which have the potential to produce and repair metal parts for the aerospace industry. Electron beam melting, selective laser melting and other metal deposition processes, such as wire and arc additive manufacturing, are presently regarded as the best candidates to achieve this challenge. For this purpose, it is crucial that these technologies are well characterised and modelled to predict the resultant microstructure and mechanical properties of the part. This paper presents the state of the art in additive manufacturing and material modelling. While these processes present many advantages to the aerospace industry in comparison with traditional manufacturing processes, airworthiness and air transport safety must be guaranteed. The impact of this regulatory framework on the implementation of additive manufacturing for repair and production of parts for the aerospace industry is presented.