Assessment of the technical, environmental and economic trade-offs in the early stage of metal additive manufacturing adoption

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2025.Additive manufacturing is nowadays an alternative to traditional manufacturing in the aeronautical sector due to its potential for weight reduction. This research work was developed with data and case studies from an aircraft manufacturer and presents a holistic evaluation of the potential of additive manufacturing regarding, not only technical performance but also cost reduction and environmental sustainability including the use phase of an aircraft. The findings demonstrate that AM can significantly lower life-cycle costs for components with high criticality, achieving up to a 39% reduction compared to traditional manufacturing, even for parts with simple design requirements. This analysis underscores the importance of incorporating post-processing considerations, which account for 13% of the life cycle cost, into both economic and environmental models to ensure informed decision-making. Finally, this study also highlights the importance of optimizing printing strategies as different orientations can influence manufacturing costs.

Keywords