ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TRENDS IN AEROSPACE
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TRENDS IN AEROSPACE
Until the 21st century, all disruptive innovations followed the same adoption curve. But with exponential technologies and digital connectedness, disruptive innovations now have steeper adoption bell-curves as implementation rates accelerate. 3D printing is one such accelerating disruptive innovation – and it’s ready for aerospace manufacturing now. Ideal for small volumes and customized production, 3D printing makes lighter-weight, fully assembled components at a fraction of the cost and time compared to just a few years ago.
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By Joe Hiemenz, Stratasys, Inc. Aerospace is the industry that other industries look to for a glimpse at what’s on the horizon. Aerospace has a long history of being an early adopter, innovator and investigator. What this industry was doing decades ago has now become commonplace, almost pedestrian. For example, the aerospace industry was the earliest adopter of carbon fiber, and it was the first to integrate CAD/CAM into its design process. There are many other examples that show that trends in aerospace are predictors of future trends in manufacturing across all industries.