Aerospace applications of laser additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been used in aerospace applications from the beginning. It not only plays a role as a rapid prototyping technology for saving capital and time during the product development period but also brings profound influences on product design, direct part fabrication, assembly, and repair in the aerospace industry. Because of recent developments, AM has rapidly become a strategic technology that will generate revenues throughout the aerospace supply chain. In this chapter, we analyze the characteristics of aerospace components favoring AM, discuss different aerospace applications benefit from different AM processes, and describe the repair applications for aerospace components. Examples of aerospace applications both from commercial and academia areas are also analyzed. Finally, this chapter discusses the challenges of applying AM to the aerospace industry and potential future aerospace applications.