The Role of Additive Manufacturing Towards Sustainable Aerospace Structures

The continual increase in aviation and aerospace operations globally has ushered in a large increase in the development of innovative materials and structures. With the need for sustainable aerospace platforms and operations paramount, the creation of more efficient, lightweight structures is necessary for future operations. Additive manufacturing (AM) presents the unique ability to fabricate highly optimised, complex structures that can reduce the associated environmental impact in their development, sustainability and operation. Whilst still yet to be fully utilised, the abundant benefits that arise from AM technology have and will enable a plethora of new avenues to be explored. This chapter outlines the importance of AM technology towards a more sustainable aerospace sector and flags the novel opportunities it provides for future development. The primary advantages of AM that contribute to this are analysed, including reduced mass, material usage and production costs, as well as its prospective capabilities of in-space manufacturing and in-situ resource utilisation.