Velo3D Works to Overcome Barriers to Allow Aerospace Companies to Integrate Metal Additive Manufacturing

When we discuss industries using additive manufacturing, one that always comes to mind is aerospace. Since the advent of 3D printing technologies, the sector has strived to adopt and integrate AM thanks to benefits like weight optimization and cost reduction. Indeed, in a recent report, Fortune Business Insights estimated that the combined Aerospace and Defense AM market will be worth $13.01 Billion by 2028. However, despite the exponential growth in the industry, there are still many obstacles preventing entry into the metal AM market for aerospace companies.

Though 3D printing is often portrayed as a miracle solution for different industries, the truth of the matter is that there are still barriers that make adopting the technology difficult. When qualification and certification come into play, like for a part that might need to fly, this gets even more complicated and often parts are only created after significant research and development and testing. We took a closer look at a whitepaper from Velo3D to understand what the barriers still are in the industry and how the company proposes to solve them with its own end-to-end metal AM solution.

Barriers to Aerospace Adoption of Metal AM

Compared to simpler 3D printing technologies, metal additive manufacturing by its nature involves much tighter control over the process. These in turn can be a barrier to entry for many in the industry. Take for example the question of inert gases, otherwise known as noble gases. Metal 3D printing requires closed build chambers filled with these gases to ensure quality parts. They are crucial for ensuring that oxygen does not enter and cause embrittlement or other undesirable metallurgical conditions.