Matthew Bailey • 23.09.24 • 4 min read

The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), together with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), recently published a new strategy and roadmap for additive manufacturing in the UK aerospace sector. Matt Bailey, Lead Technologist – Structures, Manufacturing & Materials discusses the potential of this technology on the journey to Destination Zero.

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers a significant step change in the ability to manufacture aerospace products with improved fuel efficiency, enhanced thermal management capability and reduced mass. It can consolidate complex part assemblies into a single part, drastically lowering overall manufacturing costs and assembly effort. Its potential to substantially reduce the time and costs of development cycles means that additive manufacturing can also accelerate the time-to-market of complex, high-value products.

These advantages over more traditional approaches to manufacturing mean that AM is set to play a pivotal role in the UK’s pursuit of Net Zero carbon emissions in commercial aircraft by 2050, while also improving the UK’s competitiveness in a global market.

The UK already has established AM technology capability in the aerospace sector, in industry as well as in research & technology organisations (RTO) and academia. For example, Airbus has made significant progress in producing qualified metal AM parts for civil aviation at their Filton site, while Rolls-Royce has conducted substantial R&D in AM, recently achieving a first flight of AM combustor tiles on the Pearl 10X engine.

Progress in the UK has been supported by significant public and private investment, including through the ATI Programme, which has provided in excess of £72m of funding for AM projects since 2014. The ATI Programme has supported the development of AM research infrastructure including funding to establish the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM) at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. NCAM has completed over 550 AM-related projects with a wide variety of industrial partners, working to address key barriers to adoption.

However, the seismic changes affecting the aerospace sector in recent years, together with a lack of clarity on the timelines for introducing new civil aircraft, has created uncertainty for the potential uptake of additive manufacturing. The result is that AM adoption rates in UK aerospace are lagging behind global competitors.

This was the context for the ATI and MTC to jointly develop this roadmap – a vision for AM adoption in UK aerospace out to 2030. The roadmap has been created through working closely with OEMs and over 50 partners from across the aerospace supply chain to understand their journey with AM, the challenges they face, and the opportunities going forward. Our vision for 2030 is clear: an order of magnitude growth in the number of flying AM parts in civil aerospace, designed and delivered by a fully-capable end-to-end UK supply chain. To realise this, it is crucial to synchronise technology development with the product decisions that key industry stakeholders are expected to take in the 2028 timeframe.

The roadmap targets four key challenge areas: supply chain resilience, more efficient qualification, reducing part cost, and increasing application opportunities. Overcoming these challenges will enhance confidence in AM, enabling decision makers to confidently integrate this technology into future programmes.

The UK possesses all the necessary ingredients to embrace full-scale aerospace AM production, including a comprehensive AM network boasting machine OEMs, rapidly growing supply chains and unparalleled academic prowess. What is now required is a concerted effort – a collective leaning in – to change the focus from research & development towards the production of end-use parts. Failure to act with urgency on these points risks not only stalling progress but jeopardising the substantial investments made thus far.

We maintain a firm belief that with steadfast commitment and collaborative efforts, the UK aerospace sector has the capability to overcome these challenges and usher in a transformative era for aerospace manufacturing – one marked by innovation, sustainability, and global leadership.

Cross-cutting enabling technologies and additive manufacturing will feature in an expert panel session at ATI Conference 2024 on 8^th & 9^th October at the ICC Wales, Newport. The agenda is out now at www.ati.org.uk/conference where tickets can also be purchased.