USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING to REPLACE and REPAIR AIRCRAFT PARTS

“This presentation summarizes the research project “RepAIR - Future RepAIR and Maintenance for Aerospace Industry”. The objective of the RepAIR project was to mature additive manufacturing (AM) processes (laser beam powder bed fusion, electron beam powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition) in order to make additive manufacturing a more cost effective option. To make AM fabrication a viable option, the cost reduction potentials that AM technologies provide need to be enhanced. These cost efficiency benefits for airlines are driven, for example, by onsite part reproduction capability reducing aircraft down-time through schedulable and on-time maintenance events. A higher level of automation and fewer process steps incur less labor cost while storage cost are significantly reduced, as only raw materials are stored instead of stocking millions of spare parts. This is true for both modern and older model airplanes where tool availability, quality and storage is becoming an increasingly costly issue. In addition, AM technology can shorten the spare parts supply chain and provides opportunities to reduce certification cost by integrated (spare) part designs.

“The European Union awarded a research grant to a group of twelve companies and research institutions operating in Europe. This funding supported advances in AM, including manufacturing volume and speed enhancement, cost analysis, in situ quality control, inventory control, IT, and integrated health monitoring. The presentation will cover aspects of the project that are relevant to metals additive manufacturing, structural repair, and parts certifications.”