A number of additive manufacturing projects are set to get a boost as part of the UK Government’s £250 million investment in the UK aerospace industry, announced ahead of Paris Air Show on Tuesday.
The joint industrial investment is focused on green aerospace technology projects and aims to ‘turbocharge growth in advanced manufacturing and defence’ and ‘secure the future of the UK’s aerospace sector.’
Per a press release, this includes advancements in gas turbines, hydrogen-powered flight and the use of laser technologies for large-scale aerostructure manufacturing, with additive manufacturing projects from Airbus, GKN Aerospace and more named amongst specific investments.
Industry Minister Sarah Jones said, “This government is backing aerospace. This investment will keep it at the forefront of innovation, not only delivering economic growth but boosting the charge to net zero 2030, two key pillars of our Plan for Change.
“This is the latest win for British aerospace in the run-up to the launch of our Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in our advanced manufacturing and defence sectors to take them to new heights, bringing new high-skilled jobs to every corner of the UK.”
One of the recipients announced yesterday is the The Digitally Enabled Competitive and Sustainable Additive Manufacturing (DecSAM) project from Airbus and partners. With a £38 million investment, the initiative aims to scale up Laser Powder Bed Fusion to make it more cost-effective and sustainable and validate the process for broader aerospace adoption.
Also announced yesterday, GKN Aerospace’s Integrated System Level Aerostructures Assembly (ISLAA) initiative will receive £10.5 million to support advancements in large-scale additive manufacturing using laser metal deposition by wire. The project targets reduced costs, lead times, and emissions in aero-structure production.
Other investments include a joint project between Brunel University and metal alloy design and AM specialist Alloyed, named PACE-AM, which is geared towards improving the use of strong aluminium alloys in 3D printing for aerospace parts, making aircraft components lighter and more efficient to produce. Meanwhile, MB HeX FC from Liverpool-based Atomik AM and Qdot Technology is using metal 3D printing to improve radiators and heat exchangers to deliver more efficient and compact hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft.
Last year the UK's Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) published its Additive Manufacturing (AM) Strategy & Roadmap detailing its vision to realise 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. Writing in a recent column for TCT, Matthew Bailey, Lead Technologist – Structures, Manufacturing & Materials at the ATI, said, "Additive manufacturing has many potential benefits for a future aerospace sector that is more sustainable. However, we are at a critical juncture and the developments and scaling we do now will help ensure that AM truly takes off with the next generation of civil aircraft programmes."
