Big USA players like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and GE are already heavily into additive manufacturing, and Chinese are already printing big parts of jet fighters. European main aircraft producer Airbus is also now promoting themselves and their technology 3d printing advancements.
Airbus is at the start of an innovation revolution using 3D printing technology. 3D plastic parts are already flying on a commercial A310 and an A350 XWB test aircraft. Metal parts for wing slats, a section of the tail wing and door hinges have also been made with 3D printing. In the coming years the technology will allow manufacturing costs to fall while lighter parts will mean less fuel burn for airlines.
